Cameroon’s U20 Lionesses stun Egypt to secure world cup debut


By Biwah Bryan

Cameroon’s U20 lionesses have secured their first-ever qualification for the World Cup with a 5-1 aggregate win over The Cleopatras of Egypt.

After Cameroon’s 4-2 victory in Alexandria, the lionesses returned home to face Egypt in the second leg of the world cup qualifiers at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde

Both teams started sluggishly, with Cameroon squandering several goal-scoring opportunities,

Egypt who needed a win by a three-goal margin, opened scores in the 40th minute through Habiba Esam to make it 3-4 on aggregate.

Despite numerous failed attempts from Cameroon, Lamine Mana finally equalized with a header after receiving a lofted pass from Bernadette Ngaseh, crushing Egypt’s hopes.

The game eventually ended 1-1, resulting in a 5-3 victory for Cameroon on aggregate and a qualification ticket for the U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

‘Feeling low’ – Francis Ngannou fears Indomitable Lions losing ‘charisma’


Cameroonian MMA fighter Francis Ngannou, has expressed worry about the recent poor form of the Indomitable Lions.

He made a three-paragraph post on Facebook, following Cameroon’s 1-1 draw with Guinea and the 3-1 loss to Senegal in the ongoing AFCON.

For the past two years, the five-time AFCON winners have rarely produced encouraging results. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup and AFCON 2023 qualification tournaments, Rigobert Song only survived last-minute scares.

‘Guys, our greatness is threatened, our name is threatened, the heritage of Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o is threatened’ Ngannou wrote.

‘We’re gradually losing the capital ‘L’, without which we are no longer Indomitable Lions but just another lion’ he added.

‘It is time to bring back our ferocity, our determination, and our hemle, in order not to be mistaken for others.’

The Indomitable Lions risk getting eliminated from the AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, if they don’t win their third group stage match against Gambia on Tuesday.

Source: Cameroon News Agenc
y

Handball 2024 AFCON: Cameroon’s qualification chances slimmed.


By Stephen TADAHA

In two matches at the Men’s Handball Africa Cup of Nations currently taking place in Egypt, Cameroon’s National team has won one against Congo 25-21 and lost the other to Guinea 19-23.

With these contrasting results, the Handball Lions’ destiny is partially in their hands given that they are still second in group B of the competition and only the first two qualify per group to the knockout stage.

Ahead of their umpteenth clash with the continent’s giants and host Egypt on Sunday, January 21, the Lions, with a possible defeat should be obliged to limit the damages and hope Guinea does not win Congo if they dream of qualifying to the next round.

Limiting the damages against Egypt means the boys of Tagne Placide should avoid defeat by a large margin ( for example 10 goals difference), because others were largely beaten by the title holders.

Egypt 33-15 Guinea (+18)

Egypt 34-19 Congo (+15)

If this possibility holds, the Lions’ chances will now depend on the Guinea vs Congo encounter.

Gu
inea is third with 2 points and a goal difference of – 14 while Congo tails the group with zero points and a goal difference of – 19. A win or a draw for Guinea will shatter Cameroon’s hopes while the hopes will remain intact if Congo were to beat Guinea.

Cameroon’s national team has never won the tournament in 17 previous participations. The team’s best result was the second spot obtained at their first participation in 1974 in Tunisia. Since the 5th place obtained in 2016, Cameroon has been dangling between the 9th and 15th places.

Will the team succeed in grabbing a quarter-final spot in 8 years?

Our fingers are crossed!

Source: Cameroon News Agency

AFCON: Aliou Cisse recovering from mild infection after Senegal victory over Cameroon


By Biwah Bryan

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse was reportedly rushed to a hospital in Yamoussoukro for an infectious pathology a few hours after his team’s 3-1 victory against Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations.

According to a release from the Sénégal football fédération, Aliou Cissé has been treated and is currently back in camp with Teranga lions of Sénégal.

Aliou Cissé has been at the helm of Senegal’s football team since 2015 and led them to victory in the previous African Nations Cup edition in Cameroon

This is the second time that the 47-year-old has fallen ill at a major tournament, after being hospitalized at the 2022 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Senegal have been outstanding in the current AFCON in Ivory Coast, winning their first two games and securing a spot in the next round.

The Teranga Lions of Sénégal will face Guinea in their final group game, where a draw will suffice for them to finish top of Group C.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Men’s Handball – Egypt 2024: Cameroon win against hosts crucial for next round qualification


By Stephen TADAHA

In two matches at the Men’s Handball Africa Cup of Nations currently taking place in Egypt, Cameroon’s National team has won one against Congo 25-21 and lost the other to Guinea 19-23.

With these contrasting results, the Handball Lions’ destiny is partially in their hands given that they are still second in group B of the competition and only the first two qualify per group to the knockout stage.

Ahead of their umpteenth clash with the continent’s giants and hosts Egypt on Sunday January 21, a win by the lions and a victory by Congo over Guinea, can secure qualification to the next round.

Limiting the damages against Egypt means the boys of Tagne Placide should avoid defeat by a large margin ( for example 10 goals difference), because others were largely beaten by the title holders.

Egypt 33-15 Guinea (+18)

Egypt 34-19 Congo (+15)

If this possibility holds, the Lions’ chances will now depend on the Guinea vs Congo encounter.

Guinea are third with 2 points and a goal difference of –
14 while Congo tail the group with zero point and a goal difference of – 19. A win or a draw for Guinea will shatter Cameroon’s hopes while the hopes will remain intact if Congo beat Guinea.

Worth noting is the fact that Cameroon’s National team has never won the tournament in 17 previous participations. The team’s best result was the second spot obtained at their first participation in 1974 in Tunisia. Since the 5th place obtained in 2016, Cameroon has been dangling between the 9th and 15th places.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

AFCON 2023: Cameroon’s qualification hopes in jeopardy following Guinea victory over Gambia


By Biwah Bryan

The Indomitable Lions’ hopes of reaching the next round of the 2023 African Nations Cup are now uncertain after Guinea’s victory over Gambia in their second AFCON match.

The lions failed to win any of their 2 group matches, holding only one point in their 2 outings, while Guinea now holds 4 points in 2 outings following their narrow 1-0 win over Gambia.

At the moment, Senegal lead Group C with six points, Guinea follow with 4 points, Cameroon with one point and Gambia is yet to have a point.

If Guinea manages to beat Senegal in their final match, they will finish at the top of Group C with seven points, and Cameroon’s fate will depend on them being one of the top four third-placed teams.

However, if Senegal beats Guinea, Cameroon must win their game against Gambia by a wide margin in order to secure second place in the group with goal difference.

If Senegal and Guinea draw their final match, Cameroon’s fate will still hang on being among the top four third-placed teams, but If Cameroon i
s beaten by Gambia then it is over

It is important to note that eight teams will be eliminated after the first round, while the top two teams from each group will be joined by the best four third-placed teams to the knockout stage.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Implications of Indomitable Lions loss to Senegal


CNA correspodent in Abidjan

Cameroon’s senior men’s national team is in a tight corner in their bid to qualify for the Round of 16 at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.

A 3-1 loss to defending champions, Senegal in their second Group C encounter signified a dicey campaign for the Indomitable Lions.

Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diallo, and Sadio Mane ensured that Jean-Charles Castelleto’s header for the Central African side was a mere consolation.

Rigobert Song’s side has a huge task ahead of their final group match against already-eliminated Gambia.

They need an outright win to get a top-three finish in Group C and Guinea’s 1-0 win over Gambia put them in a dicey situation.

Since 1990, Cameroon has failed to make it out of the group stage on three occasions apart from 2012 and 2013 when the team didn’t qualify for the tournament.

In 1990 as defending champions, Cameroon crashed out from the group stage behind Zambia and Senegal.

Six years later, the team also crashed out from
the group that has South Africa and Egypt.

A similar occurrence took place in 2015 when the team finished bottom of the group that has Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mali.

Apart from 1990, every time Cameroon bowed out at the group stage, one of the teams from their group did go on to win the title.

South Africa (1996) and Cote D’Ivoire (2015) won the title the last two times the Indomitable Lions failed to make it from their group.

Cameroon has the pedigree to qualify but the team’s destiny is not in their hands depending on the result of the game between Senegal and Guinea as well as other teams in the best third-place category.

Source: Cameroon News Agency