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Cameroon — Libya: Mitigated Impressions (21.06.2005)
After unconvincingly beating the Mediterranean Eagles last Sunday, the Lions need to work extra hard to qualify for the World Cup.
Unlike the previous editions when the Indomitable Lions literally walked to the World Cup competition, Cameroon’s quest for a fifth consecutive World Cup appearance is complicated. Like some football giants in the continent (Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt), Cameroon is going through rough moments.
The minimum service put in by Captain Song and his mates during the away matches of the on-going qualifiers lost to Egypt and drew with Libya and Sudan is weighing heavily on the team. Despite three straight victories in three outings in the return leg matches, all is not yet fine for the Lions. The 1 — 0 win over Libya last Sunday in Yaounde, enabled Cameroon to keep the 2006 World Cup dream alive. However, it did not permit the Lions to ascend to the enviable first position in the group. Cameroonians had expected the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire to stumble before the Pharaohs. The contrary happened. Côte d’Ivoire retains the leadership position after thrashing Egypt, 2 —0 in Abidjan on Sunday.
The only option for Cameroon now is to win it’s remaining two matches; the most difficult being the match against Côte d’Ivoire in Abidjan on September 8. Unlike Libya that settled for a defensive game last Sunday; refusing to attack, the Lions, the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire would
beout to maintain their supremacy in Group C. A victory for Cameroon in September will maintain suspense in Group C until the last playing day on October 9, 2005. Presently, it is a three-nation race to finish first and qualify for the quadrennial tournament next year in Germany since Cameroon with 17 points, Ivory Coast with 19 and Egypt with 13 can still qualify.
Beating Côte d’Ivoire in Abidjan would not be a child’s play. The Lions need to work very hard. Cameroonians are not satisfied with last Sunday’s performance of their darling team. Some blame the coach for not knowing when to make his replacements, who to remove and who to bring in. Sports critics also say that Artur Jorge was too dormant during the encounter; failing to give on-the-spot instructions to his boys as the match progressed. The players, on the other hand, need to harness the present effort to build a good team and a common play style. The midfield is still in die need of an organiser. The attack has the talents, but finishing is the problem. The short comings of the defense could not be visible in Sunday’s encounter since attacking was not a priority for the Libyans. Moreover, the administrators and mediators of the national team should continue to fish out more talents whom they believe have something to offer the national team. In this way, Cameroon will be sure of putting on a better performance in Abidjan on September 4, 2005.
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