Welcome to the Lion’s den! Cameroon kick off the tournament with a roaring result, and top Group A. Ethiopia find themselves playing the majority of their opener in deficit after a 12th minute VAR red card.
Matchday two for #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 is already upon us, and Africa’s focus is solely on the beautiful game.
It’s host nation Cameroon versus the Walias, Ethiopia – Who will come out on top?
Africa Cup of Nations – Group A
Thursday, January 13
Olembe Stadium
18:00
To Win
Cameroon 1/5 | Draw 52/10 | Ethiopia 1/1
Cameroon
Off to the best possible start, the Cameroon nation is buzzing! Three points in the bag and the streets are packed, the fan parks are constantly on their feet, and most importantly, the stadia are “full”.
While the result went in favour of Cameroon, two penalties were needed to get past Burkina Faso. It took time for the host nation to build into the game unproductively inter-passing between the backline. The Indomitable Lions often utilized the diagonal ball from left-back to right-wing once they created space. The only key lacking to unlock the passage of play was consistently poor crossing when the ball reached the desired space. Playing in the defensive line, Cameroon were pressed high in their own half and crumbled on occasion. I do feel the composure grew as the game went on, and with more confidence, they have the capability to create good passages of play from the back.
Captain Vincent Aboubaker slotted home the two penalties quite confidently, Young Boys midfielder Moumi Ngamaleu put in a shift for his team, and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa was able to showcase himself on the African stage. The nerves are out the way, and the home-ground advantage will come out to play.
Ethiopia
A disastrous start for Ethiopia sees them without a point only to face their biggest challenge in Group A.
Amidst Covid-19 cases, a man down from the 12th minute, the Walias played their opening fixture numerically inferior and despite struggling to contain Cape Verde a 1-0 loss might bode well in their favour later on. Chances were non-existent for Ethiopia and key attacking duo Abubeker Nesir and Shemeles Bekele (likely to return) will be hungry to net Ethiopia’s first of the tournament.
We were unable to see what the nation is capable of, especially since they have been acclimating and training in Cameroon since the last week of December.
Prediction: Cameroon win and BTTS (Yes) at (24/10)
A disastrous start for Ethiopia sees them without a point only to face their biggest challenge in Group A.
Amidst Covid-19 cases, a man down from the 12th minute, the Walias played their opening fixture numerically inferior and despite struggling to contain Cape Verde a 1-0 loss might bode well in their favour later on. Chances were non-existent for Ethiopia and key attacking duo Abubeker Nesir and Shemeles Bekele (likely to return) will be hungry to net Ethiopia’s first of the tournament. We were unable to see what the nation is capable of, especially since they have been acclimating and training in Cameroon since the last week of December.
