Cameroon to draw inspiration from 1984 in Cote d’Ivoire

Making their 21st Africa Cup of Nations, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are aiming for nothing less than three points against Guinea on Monday in their opening Group ‘C’ match.

The match set to take place at Yamoussoukro’s Stade Charles Konan Banny sees the five-time champions take on The Elephants of Guinea who are making their 14th appearance at the continental finals.

Led by former defender Rigobert Song, Cameroon are in search of their sixth continental crown, having last won it in 2017 under coach Hugo Broos who is with South Africa in this edition of the tournament.

With the 34th edition of the tournament being held in Cote d’Ivoire; Cameroon will be hoping the host nation brings a lucky charm to their search of an elusive sixth title.

Cote d’Ivoire is where Cameroon won their first ever Afcon title back in 1984 with a 3-1 win over Nigeria, and if history is anything to go by, the Cameroonians are set for an exciting tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.

However, a tie against The Elephants sees them meet a highly spirited side that is not only making its 14thappearance but fell shy of being crowned champions in 1976 where they narrowly edged by Morocco in the final.

In the 2021 edition, coincidentally played in Cameroon, they reached the quarter-finals of the competition, proving that they are certainly no pushovers and are eager to make a name for themselves on the continent.

Meanwhile, a lot is expected when Algeria and Angola clash in their opening match on Monday.

It’s redemption time for the Fennec Foxes, who are eager to impress after a shambolic 2021 run in Cameroon.

For captain Riyad Mahrez and his colleagues, making amends means going past stiff opposition in Angola before thinking of how to handle the other two in the group — Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Beyond Mahrez, the Algerians will look further within for inspiration especially from Milan’s Ismael Bennacer, who has become an important part of the squad, after sustaining a knee injury.

There are also the likes of Islam Slimani, who is playing in his sixth Afcon, Said Benrahma (West Ham) and Houssem Aouar (Roma) among a tall list of talents. Djamel Belmadi has so much quality to tap from.

His counterpart on the Angolan side of things, Pedro Goncalves, has an arduous task on his hands to try and navigate their way past the North African opposition.

With a ninth Afcon appearance, it is the first time since 2019 that they are showing up amongst the big boys. Breezing past the group stage is an important morale booster for the Palancas Negras, who are in Côte d’Ivoire without M’bala Nzola (Fiorentina).

The rest of Goncalves’ men including Jérémie Bela of Ligue 1 side Clermont will be tough customers; after reaching the quarter-finals in 2008 and 2010 (which they hosted), they will hope to do better in Group D.

One of their recent attributes of not being heavy scorers yet not conceding, is a potential negotiating tool opponents will have to settle for.

While Algeria have recorded two wins (1985 and 2001), Angola have recorded just one over Algeria (2006 World Cup qualifiers).

Six of their encounters have been played out as drawn games, the last one being the 0:0 in the group stage of the 2010 Afcon.