By NOELA E. BISONG & DOH J. SONKEY
In spite of the lingering distress between the Cameroon ministry of Sports and Physical Education and the country’s football governing body FECAFOOT, the Indomitable Lions came out colourfully to trash the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde by 4 goals to 1 on Saturday. Belgian born coach Marc Brys recorded his first victory in the high stakes Group D match on June 6, 2024 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde. Cameroon now tops the group with 7 points in the African Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and will be in action again on Tuesday against Angola in Luanda.
There was total commotion at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde throughout the 90 minutes of play with fans savouring almost every move of the Indomitable Lions with joy.
From kick off till full time, the Lions maintained stamina averting danger as they progressed cautiously into the opponents’ vital zone.
After a few tactful moves, the Lions found the back of the net of the goal keeper of the Blue Sharks at the 13th minute and that was done by Ngadeu Ngadui who opened the score thereby paving the way for team captain, Vincent Aboubakar to double score at the 24th minute.
The Blue Sharks of Cape Verde replied moments later, scoring their lone goal of the encounter at the 36th minute.
Just before half time, Vincent Aboubakar further widened the goal margin with a goal from the penalty spot.
At halftime it was Cameroon 3- 1 Cape Verde and some few minutes into the second half, Nouhou Tolo scored the fourth goal for the Lions and his first ever in the team at the 55th minute.
The Blue Sharks struggled to bounce back but the Lions held fast.
The coach of Cape Verde tried several replacements, but this move was greeted with an equal response from the Cameroonian side.
Both teams missed several scoring opportunities in the second half, one of the most spectacular being the additional time penalty in favour of the Blue Sharks at the 93rd minute that was stopped by Cameroon’s goal getter, Andre Onana to the general satisfaction of the thousands of fans who turned out to watch the game.
The game was played under the watchful eyes of Prime Minister Dion Ngute and a host of government officials, who joined the fans to celebrate the victory. Dion Ngute acknowledged that the victory was a most welcomed one and encouraged the Lions to continue in same spirit.
At the post match press conference, coach Marc Brys maintained that he is apolitical and only in Cameroon to do his job. He hoped that the victory will bring everyone on board for the continuous success of the team.
Cameroon’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi was elated to see the Lions win and in such manner, and the victory some held, is a personal one for him, following his role in the appointment of head coach Marc Brys and his assistant.
FECAFOOT president, Samuel Eto’o also celebrated the goals as they came in.
During the game however, only Marc Brys and his assistant Joachim Mununga were around the pitch, while the entire administrative and technical staff were relegated to the stands.
It is recalled that uneasy calm has characterised relations between the ministry of Sports and Physical Education and FECAFOOT for over two months, following the appointment of the head coach and the technical and administrative staff of the Lions squad. At press time, FECAFOOT had accepted only Marc Brys and his assistant, while it had appointed its own technical and administrative staff for the squad. It is still not clear which of the technical/administrative staff is in place as the stalemate seems not to be over yet. Nonetheless, many Cameroonians continue to celebrate the victory which they hold is taking place almost in 15 years.