Lions pushed to the wall

The Indomitable Lions have sustained the suspense and anxiety of fans and football lovers who would have to wait for the last Group game to know if their team would qualify for the next round or not.

The 1-1 draw against Syli Nationale of Guinea means that the team is pushed to the wall and has only two possible options open to them in order to proceed to the next stage or walk out of the competition.

Finke’s squad failed to conserve their 1-0 lead 13 minutes into the encounter after mounting pressure on their opponent to be rewarded with a goal which Olympic Marseille forward Benjamin Moukandjo sent through a superbly taken corner-kick which Guinean goalie, helped to rest well in the net.

Like it has been observed in their past games, the Lions have a tradition of losing concentration when they open scores. But Captain Ibrahima Traoure considered as one of the best for his team made sure the Lions joy was short-lived. He surprised goalie Fabrice Ondoua whose fingers failed to stretch far to push out the ball that slipped in at the close of the first half.

Traore’s goal jeopardized all efforts at increasing tally with off target headers from Stephane Mbia and misses from Vincent Aboubakar, leaving fans thirst for goals unsatisfied.

However, Aurelein Chedjou and Nicolas Nkoulou were up to the challenge keeping the sentinel while Salli Edgar, described as a player with juice in his legs was like a machine rattling the Guinean defense line.

With the four teams in Group D each two on points the suspense for all the teams is sustained and the last game would be tension-packed such that cardiac patients are advised not to watch.

Only two teams would qualify for the next stage, the quarterfinals, meaning any of the teams losing the last game would pack bag and baggage home. This is where the Lions roar best when it is pushed to the wall, what the Frenchman calls ‘Dos au mur’ and Cameroonians though appreciated the level of the games played, would want victory.

Many are hoping that if 20 year old Buea Boy, Njie Clinton is paired upfront with Aboubakar Vincent like was the case in the 4-1 bashing of Ivory Coast during the qualifiers, the Lions can win their last game to qualify for the quarter finals.

The story of Group D is the ingredient that brings excitement and spices the 30th edition of the African Nations Cup. This excitement is even heightened by the fact that Group D teams envy others already heading straight for the ¼ finals as just a draw would get them through the last group games.

These are Congo with four points in Group A, Gabon tagging along with three points. Tunisia is leading with four points in Group B, and in Group C, Senegal has four points while Ghana and Algeria follow closely with three points each.

A total of 30 goals have been scored so far and the third group games started on January 25 with the Lions programmed for Wednesday, January 28.