Nigeria’s Super Eagles face the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in an eagerly anticipated Round of 16 clash at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday. It will be the second meeting at this stage of the competition between both sides in less than five years.
Games between Nigeria and Cameroon have become a regular feature in Africa’s flagship football competition and both sides will be meeting for the eighth time in the competition on Saturday at the Stadium where it all began.
ACLSports Chief Football Writer Fisayo Dairo who was at both teams’ last meeting in Alexandria, Egypt and will be at Saturday’s showdown at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan draws comparison from that game in 2019 to the present day.
Same old Nigeria
The Super Eagles enter the next stage unbeaten after amassing seven points out of their three group games including a 1-0 win over the hosts Côte d’Ivoire. Nigeria’s run to the round of 16 of this year’s edition however shares some similarity with the 2019 edition in terms of its struggles.
Although Nigeria rank highest in terms of chances created in this tournament, the Super Eagles have only scored three times in this competition, a return that reminds one of how it was in Egypt when Gernot Rohr’s Eagles only scored twice in three group stage games, finishing second in the group behind minnows Madagascar.
In 2024, Jose Peseiro’s Nigeria have also finished second behind Equatorial Guinea having scored three goals in their three group games in spite of their dreaded attacking firepower before the start of the competition.
In terms of personnel, it is interesting to note that eleven of Nigeria’s squad to this AFCON tournament were in the Match Day squad on that July 6 evening in Alexandria. In fact, seven of them started the game while two came on as second half substitutes.
Among the two unused substitutes (from this set) in that game was Victor Osimhen who watched on as Odion Ighalo scored twice and assisted another as Nigeria won 3-2, a brace which helped him to the tournament’s golden boot in the end. Osimhen will be hoping to emulate his predecessor in Nigeria’s Number 9 position and put aside his recent woes in front of goal.
Also in the starting lineup that day were centre backs William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo as well as Ola Aina, Moses Simon, Alex Iwobi who scored the winner and Ahmed Musa who has now become a non-playing captain these days.
Much changed Cameroon
Cameroon qualified for the second round barely through the skin of their teeth after that dramatic win over The Gambia in their final group game. Like Nigeria, the Indomitable Lions have also wobbled to arrive at this stage.
What matters though is that they have arrived and they face their eternal rivals in another installment of Nigeria vs Cameroon under the floodlights on Saturday night.
Only five members of the current Indomitable Lions set experienced that defeat in 2019 including both goalkeepers jostling for a place in goal on Saturday – Andre Onana and Fabrice Ondoa. The former was in goal while the latter was on the bench, but the role looks to be reversed on Saturday.
Two key members of the current Indomitable Lions set up Frank Zambo Anguissa and Karl Toko Ekambi came on as second half substitutes in that game while Clinton N’Jie who started the encounter is in a race to be fit for Saturday’s game.
Aftermath of the last AFCON meeting
After beating Nigeria in that five goals thriller, Nigeria would then beat South Africa in Cairo before succumbing to eventual champions Algeria at the semi-final stage.
While Nigeria have never managed to reach that height since then – losing out in the round of 16 two years ago and even failing to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup tournament -, Cameroon finished third at the last AFCON and also earned qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
One thing looks certain: whichever manager that loses on Saturday will be out of his job by the end of the tournament.
