ACTUALITE |
25.06.2003
Cameroon faces Colombia in ´90 World Cup rematch
LYON, France
Eric Kwekeu remembers the last time Cameroon played Colombia.
He was 10 years old and watched on television as Roger Milla scored in overtime, giving the Indomitable Lions a 2-1 win and the first spot for an African team in the World Cup quarterfinals.
"After the match, we went out on the street making a lot of noise," Kwekeu said Tuesday. "In Cameroon, we love football so much."
Fans danced until dawn in the streets of Yaounde, Cameroon´s capital, after the big win in the second round of the World Cup on June 23, 1990. Milla, then 38, came out of retirement to play in the tournament and scored twice against the South Americans, raising his tournament total to four.
"It was just a big party," said Cameroon captain Lucien Mettomo, who was 13 at the time.
Forward Valery Mezague was just 6 years old and lived in France.
"I remember the two goals of Roger Milla," he said. "I saw the match with my family in my home."
The meeting on Thursday won´t be as important, coming in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. The winner advances to Sunday´s final against defending tournament champion France or Turkey.
In 1990, Cameroon was a soccer outsider, a 500-1 shot to win the World Cup. But the Lions upset defending champion Argentina 1-0 in the opener, then beat Romania 2-1 and won their group.
While the Indomitable Lions lost to England 3-2 in overtime in the quarterfinals, their performance gave a huge boost to African soccer, one that led to many top clubs signing Africa´s stars in the 1990s.
Cameroon hasn´t gotten past the first round since then, winning just one of nine matches and tying four. Meanwhile, other African nations have improved, Nigeria advanced to the second round in 1994, and Senegal upset defending champion France at last year´s tournament, then advanced to the quarterfinals before losing in overtime to Turkey.
Like the other teams in this tournament, Cameroon isn´t at full strength and is looking ahead.
"The object is to create a new team," coach Winnie Schaefer said through a translator. "The goal is to qualify the team for the African Cup of Nations and the 2006 World Cup in Germany."
Still, Cameroon is taking Thursday´s game seriously. The team left downtown Lyon on Tuesday to train near Saint-Etienne.
"We need quiet," Schaefer said.
|
|
Hits: 1 | Source:Autres | |
|
|
|
|
| |