The age-long rivalry between Africa’s two biggest giants, the Super Eagles and Cameroon, will be relived again in Austria, but will the Eagles continue their recent winning run against the Indomitable Lions? IKENWA NNABUOGOR ponders…
The rivalry between the Super Eagles and Indomitable Lions of Cameroon could be seen as one of the fiercest in Africa with Cameroon edging their neighbours only in the title honour’s battles, but trailing in the exciting head-to-head exchanges.
The Lions’ three African Nations Cup title had their bitter rivals Super Eagles at the receiving end – first in 1984, second at Maroc’88 and the most frustrating of the monsters of AFCON title losses in the pulsating lottery of penalties before expectant home fans in Lagos in 2000, completing the misery of AFCON title losses.
Nigeria’s 12 wins in the 23 head-to-head ties dating from April 26, 1960 as against their arch rival’s four, all combined will never take the shine off Lions’ four wins, three of which ultimately made Cameroon African champions.
For the records and title honours, anything short of beating Cameroon in the AFCON final is seen as Eagles still trailing on the head-to-head battles.
Interestingly, Eagles have dominated their neighbours lately and it appears they will continue the winning streak in the double friendlies in Austria.
Since the surprise AFCON home loss on penalties in Lagos in 2000, Eagles have yet to lose to Cameroon, winning five games in seven ties.
Coach Gernot Rohr’s Eagles have encountered the four-time African champions thrice and twice he was on the winning side, with the latest coming in the quarterfinals of the 2019 AFCON, beating them 3-2 before the eventual champions Algeria stopped them in the semis.
Both countries have scarcely exchanged pennants in friendly games, the last was in 1980 when Lagos hosted a stalemate game in preparation for the 1980 AFCON title win on home soil.
Five more times both bitter rivals have run into one another in friendlies, Nigeria won three times and others ended in draws as the Super Eagles continue to lord over their rivals in the friendlies.
The Austria double friendlies will the seventh and eighth meetings between the bitter rivals and it appears Eagles will continue from where they stopped judging by the red-hot form of their players with their frontline looking as deadly as ever.
The Lions have refused to roar in three previous encounters between the two soccer-mad nations, losing twice and drawing the other in front of their fans in Yaounde and they are expected to stand up and be counted again before their arch rivals.
The Lions have struggled to kill a prey lately resulting in the change of guard five times in the last five years with Portuguese coach Toni Conceicao replacing Dutch manager Clarence Seedorf in October, 2019.
While Cameroon grapple with finding their winning rhythm, Rohr and his team have begun to fly again after a Covid19-forced lull and will be hugely boosted with the abundance of firepower in the attacking line, led by Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen will not be the only Lions headache, Belgian Jupiler league goaledor Paul Onuachu hasn’t forgotten his scoring boots in Belgium and so the Lions may not find their prey so easy to kill.
Seria A 20-goal king Simeon “Simmy” Nwankwo’s late pull-out may not matter after all as uncapped Terem Moffi will be knocking on the Lions door for a debut goal.
Lions’ headaches appear more interesting than coach Conceicao may think.
Worse still, the Lions may not roar in this double encounters, but it remains to be seen how they will contain the Eagles’ fierce firepower.
It appears Eagles will extend their dominance and bragging rights over their neighbours a little further, but must also get their acts right.
