ACTUALITE |
03.10.2006
African Youth Championship : Lions Extinguish Malawian Flames
The U-20 Lions yesterday knocked off the Flames of Malawi, 2 — 0, to secure a comfortable lead in the race for the Nations Cup in Congo.
The first leg matches of the second and last round qualifiers for the 2007 African Youth Championship to take place in Congo next year were played over the weekend through out Africa. In Yaounde, the Junior Lions beat the Malawian Flames, 2 — 0, to secure a comfortable lead in the race for a spot in the final of the 15th African Youth Championship.
It was an interesting encounter played under very bright weather with spectators discovering some of Cameroon’s budding talents. The team, principally made up of local players drawn from eight teams in the country, was reinforced with three professionals from Europe. Cameroon started off forcefully from the first minute of the encounter with a fierce attack. It was however the visitors who missed a golden opportunity to open scores at the 21st minute. The ball however hit the goal post and went into the ready hands of goalkeeper Goda Jules Stéphane playing professional football in Bastia. Although Cameroon dominated the last quarter of the first half, all the scoring opportunities were squandered. The most glaring was when Biyaga Paul of Tonnerre came face to face with goalkeeper Vincent Steven Gona of Malawi, after a neat pass from Alexandre Morfaw from Nantes. Biyaga sent the ball far above the goal post. Both teams separated for the half time with their nets intact.
On resumption, Cameroon’s coach, Ndtoungou Mpile, added more steam to his team by making a few changes. This paid off as Cameroon, galvanised by over 15,000 spectators, grabbed the curtain raiser at the 53rd minute after a breath-taking goal mouth tussle. The Malawians fought back to no avail. The changes by Coach John Kaputa did not help as the Lions demonstrated more stamina and were technicaly superior. Things worsened for the visitor at the 83rd minute when Referee, Alex Kotey, handed a penalty following a rough tackle on Mbilla Etame Serge. Substitute Moukadjio Bille Benjamin materialised the penalty to give Cameroon its second and last goal of the game.
Although the 2 - 0 victory puts Cameroon in a comfortable lead, the Lions need to work hard on their finishing and collective style to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the return leg match in three weeks time in Malawi. More so, because the Malawian side believes they are equal to the task and were not simply lucky in Yaounde. The winners after the second leg matches, which will be played on 20-22 October 2006, will join host Congo for the final tournament from 21 January to 4 February 2007.
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