The president of the Cameroon Football Federation Samuel Eto’o took to social media to give his predictions for the FIFA World Cup™ before the tournament kicked off, with the former Indomitable Lions legend saying that Africa would be front and centre and tipping a rather unexpected final between his own Cameroon and Walid Regragui’s Morocco.
Was this merely a way of provoking a reaction or did he really believe in what he said? Either way, the one-time Barcelona striker captured the boundless optimism and ambition of Cameroon at this World Cup that even a 1-0 opening-match loss to the Swiss has done little to dampen.
“We’ve got work to do and there are still six points up for grabs,” said a defiant Nicolas Nkoulou after the final whistle against Switzerland. “We’re going to take on board what happened during this game and come back all guns blazing for the remaining matches.”
Switzerland v Cameroon | Group G | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ | HighlightsSwitzerland v Cameroon | Group G | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ | Highlights
Watch the highlights from the match between Switzerland and Cameroon played at Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakra on Thursday, 24 November 2022.Watch the highlights from the match between Switzerland and Cameroon played at Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakra on Thursday, 24 November 2022.
When they emerged from the team bus at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday, the Cameroon squad were already a tight-knit group, singing, dancing, clapping in rhythm and reminding everyone that the World Cup is first and foremost a celebration of the beautiful game.
And while they were not celebrating after losing their tournament opener, Cameroon were by far and away the least downhearted of the teams who came up short in their first match. Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, for example, was all smiles in the mixed zone. Whilst he was obviously not delighted with the result, he has the necessary lucidity to analyse what had happened.
Despite the defeat, there were plenty of positives to be taken out of the game for Cameroon in their build-up play and he was also magnanimous enough to be happy for his friend Breel Embolo.
“We wanted to play a high line and press them, win the ball back and get forward quickly,” added team-mate Jean-Pierre Nsame, who was an unused substitute but was already looking ahead as to how to improve his team’s game.
As they search for their first World Cup win since 2002, Cameroon have an unflagging sense of optimism, and they are one of the rare squads capable of giving off positive vibes even when the going gets tough. Coach Rigobert Song encapsulated this mindset in his post-match press conference, opting to look to the future rather than dwelling on the defeat they had just suffered.
“The second game’s where we’re going to come into our own, I reckon,” he said of their clash with Serbia on Monday. “I think my players will show a different side to themselves”.
When they return to the Al Janoub Stadium, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and his fellow Lions will no doubt be as positive and enthusiastic as they were when they got off the bus before the opening match, buoyed by their seemingly never-ending reserves of hope. After all, for decades now on the world’s biggest stage, the Cameroon motto has been ‘never say die’.
Source: fifaplus