Cameroon are the ultimate nemesis of host nations at the Africa Cup of Nations. They are known for destroying the plans of a host nation.
In the seven times they have stopped the host nation from progressing to the next stage, the Indomitable Lions have gone ahead to win the trophy on five occasions.
These statistics look scary on paper for the Atlas Lions. They will face Morocco, who look to be under pressure to end their almost 50-year wait for the AFCON trophy at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat.
Here is how Cameroon have damaged host nations of the AFCON.
1. Cote d’Ivoire in 1984
Ivory Coast needed to avoid defeat against Cameroon in the final game of the group to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout stage. It was winner take all affair as Egypt had already won two games and had booked a place in the knockout stage. At the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, goals from Roger Miller and Bonaventure Djonkep in either half condemned the host to a 2-0 defeat. Ivory Coast exited the tournament while Cameroon went ahead to beat Nigeria 3-1 to win their first-ever AFCON title. Serbian head coach Radivoje Ognjanovic had arguably the best Cameroonian squad, and it’s no surprise he led them to their first-ever title. Thomas Nkono, Joseph Antoine-Bell, Emmanuel Kunde, Ernest Ebongue and Roger Miller were all superstars then.
2. Morocco 1988
Cyrille Makanaki’s 76th-minute goal destroyed the souls of 45,000 Moroccan fans at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca. Morocco, in the semi-finals, had hoped to qualify for the finals to win their second AFCON title, but Cameroon had different plans. Cameroon went to the finals and defeated Nigeria 1-0 with the late Emmanuel Kunde’s 56th-minute penalty clinching a second title for the Central Africans under Claude Le Roy’s guidance.
3. Senegal 1992
Ernest Ebongue’s 89th-minute killer goal silenced the Stade de l’Amitie in Dakar and the entire Senegal in the quarter-finals. Host Senegal in their second group game smashed Kenya 3-0 after losing 2-1 to Nigeria in the first match. The victory over Kenya set up a clash against Cameroon, where they lost by a lone goal. The Indomitable Lions lost on penalties in the semi-finals to the Ivory coast who again won on penalties against Ghana in the finals to win their first-ever AFCON title.
4. Ghana- Nigeria 2000
It was a final full of superstars. Nigeria’s head coach, Jo Bonfrere, started with superstars like Celestine Babayaro, Taribo West, Jay Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Nwankwo Kanu, Finidi George and Raphael Chukwu.
Cameroon’s French coach Pierre Lechantre started with stars like Rigobert Song, Pierre Wome, Laurent Etame Mayer, Geremi Njitap, Marc Vivien-Foe, Salomon Olembe, Patrick M’boma and Samuel Eto’o.
Cameroon took two goals lead through Eto’o and M’boma in the 26th and 31st minutes respectively to silence the over 60,000 fans at the National Stadium in Lagos. Nigeria, on the stroke of half-time, reduced the deficit through Raphael Chukwu’s goal. With two minutes played into the second half, Jay Jay Okocha scored to restore parity. The game travelled to extra time and then penalties, where Cameroon won 4-3 to lift the trophy.
5. Mali 2002
Cameroon had won every game before the semi-final fixture against the much-confident Mali. Wins over Congo D.R, Ivory Coast, and Togo in the group stage were followed by a quarter-finals victory over Egypt made the Indomitable Lions so dangerous. It was the host v the defending champions at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako. Cameroon, through Olembe’s first-half brace, destroyed Mali’s hope. With just six minutes left, the late Marc Vivien Foe finished off the host to secure an emphatic 3-0 win over Mali. Cameroon went ahead to win their fourth AFCON title against Senegal on penalties under German tactician, Winfried Schäfer.
6. Ghana 2008
10-man Ghana had beaten rivals Nigeria 2-1 in the quarter-finals with Junior Agogo tapping in the winner into an empty net. The Black Stars were in full confidence against the unconvincing Cameroon in the semi-finals at the Ohene Djan Stadium in front of 40,000 fans. Cameroon, with Samuel Eto’o, Rigobert Song, Alex Song, Timothy Atouba, Carlos Kameni, Stephane Mbia and Geremi Njitap, were too good for Ghana as substitute Alain N’kong’s 72nd minute strike recorded a perfect 1-0 win for the Indomitable Lions. Egypt won 1-0 with Aboutrica scoring the goal in the finals against Cameroon in Accra, while Ghana beat Cote d’Ivoire 4-2 in the 3rd/4th match in Kumasi.
7. Gabon 2017
The Panthers of Gabon needed to win at all costs to progress to the quarter-finals. Their opponents were Cameroon, making it a difficult task. Cameroon had already won four points from a draw and a win against Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau, respectively, so it needed a draw to progress. Gabon, with two draws from two games against Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso were confident of beating Cameroon but ended playing a goalless draw. Gabon exited the group with Burkina Faso and Cameroon progressing. Cameroon, under Hugo Broo,s went ahead to win their 5th trophy by beating Egypt 2-1.
