The-Shot.Net Writers Club - Cameroon

Feb 8 1300 GMT Cameroon - Nigeria 1:2 (final score)

before the match:
An exciting setup for spectacular quarter- and semi-finals: Of the big four tournament favorites Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, and hosts Tunisia only one can reach the final. > more
Two of them will certainly receive maybe undeserved criticism already after this weekend. And one of that two will be either defending champions Cameroon or Nigeria, the most populated African country with probably the most talent.
But Nigerians are specialists in self-destruction, political fractions often seem to work against each other and team policy seems changed all the time so that the Super Eagles do seldom get beyond a state of gathering a crowd of players and try to play football based on the remaining individual talent alone.
A perfect example has been the throwing out of three key players from the camp and the later recall, which when looked at the conditions connected to it (when reports are true), seemed rather a publicity trick to put the blame on the players alone.
Fact is:: Nigeria wasted their energy once again for producing persons to blame for a failure (whoever you like to blame for it) instead of focussing building a team which is more than the pure addition of talent. Or in other words: Nigerian football at the moment is more a politics game than a ball game.
Cameroon has all different problems. They struggle a bit in rebuilding the compactness of the 2002 Nations Cup and the 2003 Confederations Cup. At least they have a reliable goal scorer in Patrick Mboma. But the Central Africans (and neighbours to Nigeria) have a politics problem as well: Because of their fancy kit with shorts and shirt sewed together they have got into a political background wrestle with FIFA. There seem to be more factors about it: an underlying rivalry between Blatter and Hayatou, maybe going back on the FIFA presidency election in 2002 in which the two were facing each other. And the FIFA partnership with adidas who certainly are not pleased Cameroon with Puma get all the attention while Nigeria's new contract with adidas remains practically unnoticed (there isn't anything spectacular in the Nigerian 2004 kit anyway).

1st half:
-Cameroon in traditional colours, Nigeria in all white. It seems Cameroon play in their controversial kit.
-('1) Cameroon beginning focussed on attacking, winning a throw in and a free kick close to the Nigerian goal
-('2) the free kick is from 20 meters half right, Geremi targets over the bar
-the first five minutes have been played in the Nigerian half. Nigeria look concentrated but Cameroon still have majority in ball possession
-('7) first yellow card for a late challenge by Nigerian #14 (Olofinjana?) against Djemba
-both teams as we know them, work with the threat of long throw ins, Nigeria with Okocha from both sides, Cameroon with Geremi and Atouba
-('12) Nigeria Have been in front of the Cameroon goal for some moments, two throw ins and a corner kick - all defended
-('13) Cameroon: Mboma reaches a free kick cross from the left but is not in a good position to unleash a successful effort
-('14) Nigeria: Okocha answers with a 20 meter attempt which is no problem for Kameni, the Cameroon keeper
-'15-'20
-Nigeria are into the game now, not really dangerous but working out a couple of scenes in front of the Lions goal
-('21) Nigeria: Okocha with one of his famous long range rockets (remember the 2000 final). It would have fit into the triangle but Kameni makes a great looking flying save to deflect it for a corner
-('28) Nigeria: error in the Lions defence who surrender the ball to Odemwingie, but Mettomo can rescue in the last moment tackling for a corner
-('31) A Cameron free kick trick is obviously either too complicated or has not been coordinated (or communicated) well. The ball gets lost.
-('33) Cameroon: For once Mboma and Eto'o suggest some magic, but the Nigerian defence are winners again in the end
-yet the two do not have many conspicious moments
-('33) Cameroon: yellow for Mbami who has stopped a Nigerian counter attack by a professional foul in midfield
-Nigerians do well in shutting down Cameroon wingplay, crosses seldom get into the penalty area
-('35) Cameroon: once they have sliced the Eagles defence open, but the situation is wasted by a strange blend of hectic and hesitation
-('37) Nigeria: a blunder in the Cameroonian defence has a Nigerian player with free way to the goal from 20 meters half right. But he fires hastily and too high
-('41) Nigeria: An Okocha free kick cross gets dangerous and is defended in the last moment for a corner
-('42) Cameroon cannot control the situation after the corner kick and finally it is Yobo whose attempt from the edge of the penalty area is wide by half a meter
-('42) Cameroon: quick counter attack, Eto'o is through and beats the keeper with a low shot - 1:0
-Nigeria try to answer but Kameni grabs the free kick cross
-('45) Cameroon: Mboma wins a free kick 25 meters central to the goal and Okoronkwo sees yellow for running out of the wall early
-('45+1) Cameronn: Geremis free kick is well saved by Enyeama, who has loked good so far
-('45+2) Nigeria: Utaka wins a free kick 17 meters, a little left
-('45+3) Nigeria: Okocha leaves no chance for the keeper as he curls the ball over the wall into the near corner (far to the keeper) - 1:1

halftime 1:1
A first half on a high level of football and with the stars of the two teams (Eto'o, Okocha) eventually emerging when it counts the most: in a big game.

2nd half:
-Nigeria look more confident than at the start of the first half, even trying some trickery to create a chance
-('53) after some minutes with the ball away from the goals, Cameroon are lucky: Song makes a daring tackle inside the penalty area against Odemwingie. It is on the borderline between played ball and foul. He touched the ball but the referee thinks it has been neither foul nor corner
-('57) Nigeria: corner kick, Kanu escapes his defender and makes the header, but it is well saved by Kameni, who is in good form today
-('59) Cameroon intercept a Nigerian counter attack and by a quick answer catch the Nigerian defending in disorder themselves. Mbami - Atouba- Song and the latter fires from half left against the outside of the net. A very good attempt to convert a situation into a dangerous attack with an unusual setup of players.
-('62) Cameroon: Idrissou in for Tchato
-the match is not as spectacular as the 2000 final, but on a high standard, though
-('64) Song shows no fear as he stops a Nigerian attack inside the penalty area by a sliding tackle again
-('68) Cameroon;: Doumbe sees a harsh yellow card for dangerous play
-it looks a bit as if Nigeria have taken a rest in the recent minutes. At least camerron have now more of the game again, winning more challenges
-('70) Cameroon: Eto'o wins a challenge inside the Nigerian half, races away with the ball, is one on one with Enyeama, but from half left the angle has become too close and so his shot only hits the keeper's body and bounces off for a corner
-('72) Nigeria: Kanu sees that Utaka is unmarked and quickly sends a through ball. Utaka races away and beats Kameni with a low shot, that is deflected by the fingertips of the keeper to the goalpost from where it goes into the net - 1:2
-('74) Cameroon answer with a dangerous corner but everybody misses
-('78) Cameroon: Ndiefi in for Mboma
-obviously Cameroon want to give the Nigerian defence a different lokoking challenge after Mboma has not had chances
-but yet it is Nigeria who are able to keep the play inside the Cameroon half
-('81) Nigeria: Udeze sees yellow, maybe for faking an injury
-Cameroon too hectically, lose balls quickly by desperate long passes and with difficulties to win it back
-('82) Odemwingie, who has had a good working match, though without scoring opportunities, wins a free kick on the left. Instead of a cross, Okocha tries to make a surprise shot, but only hits the outside of the net
-('83) Cameroon lose the ball immediately again, Okocha takes a cross directly but fires over the bar
-('85) Cameroon: Ndiefi manages to carry some chaos into the Nigerian defence, but his solorun is eventually defended for a corner
-('86) Cameroon: three successive corners without effect
-('88) Cameroon: after moments of pressure, Ndiefi has a big chance from half right but his low shot is saved by Enyeama
-('90) Nigeria: Ikedia in for Odemwingie
-('90) Cameroon: have created a dangerous situation but Ndiefi, from the right hand side, with his back to the deserted goal but with a difficult angle, tries a lob himself instead of a cross and it goes across the bar
-('90) 4 minutes added
-('90+3) Cameroon have got far but again are short of the last pass
-('90+4) Cameroon once more try to play out the Nigerian defence patiently and Ndiefi makes a half cross half shot which misses the goal only by centimeters

final score 1:2
If there was any significant difference at all: the Nigerian defence won the match

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