Positive Balance Sheet for Lions

They qualified for the third and final round of the qualifiers before the last day of play.

With four victories and one draw, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have qualified for the third and last round qualifiers for the World Cup in South Africa with flying colours. The Lions currently top Group I with 13 points and are sure to maintain the leadership of the group after the last day of play, no matter the outcome of the match given that their arch rivals, Cape Verde are four points behind them.

The Lions began the campaign on a good footing with a 2-0 victory over Cape Verde at the Mfandena sports complex in Yaounde. This was followed by a 3-0 trouncing of the Mauritius Island on the second day of play. The Lions were however halted in their advance by Tanzania on the third day of play, holding the Lions to a zero-all tie.

The Indomitable Lions gathered steam and came out victorious in the return leg match against Tanzania, edging them 2-1. Despite the impressive track record, qualification was not yet assured for the Lions as Cape Verde maintained the heat with 9 points barely one point away from the group leader, Cameroon with 10 points.

The match against Cape Verde last Saturday was therefore a tricky one given that a victory for the Blue Sharks would have seriously threatened Cameroon's chances of qualifying for the third and last round of the qualifiers. The reason the Lions' 2-1 victory over Cape Verde over the weekend, was capital as it guaranteed Cameroon's qualification.

The qualification of the Lions has been marked with ups and downs. New measures introduced by the Cameroon Football Federation preventing the public and press from meeting the players spurred a brawl between players and sports journalist. Apart from the incident, the zero-all-tie against Tanzania raised questions about the fitness of the Lions as the football federation meeting in an executive meeting in Limbe, reiterated their lack of confidence in team coach, Otto Pfister.

Another remarkable feature about the campaign, has been the continuous introduction of new blood into the squad which for now seems to be paying off.

Related terms: cameroon, cape verde, executive, football, south africa, sports, tanzania, track