Cameroon going to the last group D match at the Africa Cup of Nations knowing that they need to win against Ivory Coast in order to secure a place in the knockout stages.
Amazingly, every match in this group has finished as a 1-1 draw. Hence, there could be a possibility of selecting the winner through lots. All the group contenders – Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mali – have identical statistics after two matches in the tournament.
Ivory Coast were once seen as the perennial favourites to win the title, but Cameroon are seen as the favourites to top the group despite this strange situation.
Volker Finke, however, has disregarded the tag as favourites since he says that Ivory Coast already have a lot of good players in the team. Cameroon are the most successful team in this tournament after having won this trophy four times in history. They have slipped from their lofty positions in recent years, but there are signs that the national team is getting back to its heights.Finke has tried to produce the usual excuse of possessing young players in the team, but fans are unlikely to want anything other than a victory against one of the top teams in Africa.
“I never said that we were the favourites in Group D. With the youngsters and the new players it takes some time.We had some chances in the second half but we didn’t score, it’s a pity. Our opponents also had some chances,” said Finke.
Incredibly, Cameroon have drawn their last four matches – both friendlies and competitive encounters – 1-1 without exception. Their last victory came in November after a 1-0 win over Congo. Cameroon and Ivory Coast came up against each other in the qualification campaign when the former managed a 4-1 victory with Aboubakar scoring a brace.
