Ahead of their second Group A clash against Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday, head coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Hugo Broos spoke at length before the start of the African Cup of Nations of the fact that there are no more minnows in the competition; this is something the team has to bear in mind going into the game.
Both sides played a 1-1 draw in their opening fixtures on Saturday, with Guinea-Bissau holding host, Gabo and the indomitable Lions letting a lead slip off their hands against the Burkinabe.
Cameroon, though without their top player in Gabon, due to pre-tournament withdrawals, will be heavy favourites, but Guinea-Bissau showed class both in the qualifiers for the finals and in their opener despite their ‘minnow’ tag.
The Belgian-born gaffer said:
“I played at the World Cup but the AFCON is tougher, it is special. This is Africa. In Europe the goal gap between teams in international games is wider, But in seven games as Cameroon coach, there is hardly a difference between the teams.”
Cameroon can take a forward step towards the knockout stages with a victory. Broos was critical of his side’s profligacy in front of and will have to rectify this if they are to go far in the tournament. In many ways, this match is a proper test of their title credentials against a team they should expect to beat. A convincing performance in this game will raise hopes of their first tittle since 2002.
Guinea-Bissau’s coach Barico Cande admits he has no idea how far side can go in the competition, ‘but the draw with Gabon is a good start.’ A side without big names, they rely on their ability to play as a collective unit to get results.
Cameroon have played against Guinea-Bissau on two previous outings in the Nations Cup qualifiers, the last in 2012, winning both games 1-0.