Cameroon-Algeria history: defeating the “Cameroonian” sign

Last January’s draw named Cameroon as the last obstacle to the participation of Riyad Mahrez’s teammates in the great mass of football. An African giant that Algeria has never beaten in official competition. All matches combined, Algeria and Cameroon combine 9 oppositions. The Indomitable Lions are well ahead in the number of games won.

Guendouz and the missed CAN 1984 penalty

The first meeting took place during the CAN 1984 on Ivorian soil. The comrades of Rabah Madjerdazzling during the 1^is turn, meet the teammates of Joseph-Antoine Bell in the semi-finals. Despite the chances on both sides, the match ended in a goalless draw. The decision was made on penalties: 5-4 for the indomitable lions. The only missed penalty was the work of Mahmoud Guendouuz on the Algerian side. For the record, thanks to this victory, the Cameroon qualifies for his 1^time final and subsequently won his first African title against the Nigeria. The men of Maheddine Khalef finished on the podium beating theEgypt 3-1 in the small final. They also finish undefeated, with the best defense (1 goal conceded) and best attack (8 goals scored) of the tournament.

A bad memory in 1986 before Mexico

Two years later in Egypt, Cameroonians and Algerians find themselves in the same pool for CAN 1986. After two goalless draws against Morocco and the Zambia, the Greens are up against the wall. They absolutely must beat the Cameroon in an epic last match against the defending champion and between African “globalists”. Indeed, theAlgeria had just qualified for the 2^th consecutive time at the World Cup, in Mexico, by sweeping the Tunisia (4-1 and 3-0). Woe to the vanquished who will have to go home. Despite the opener signed Madjer (61^‘), Algeria quickly lost track of the game. Overwhelmed by Cameroonian attacks, she conceded 3 goals in quick succession per André Kana-Biyik (66′ and 70^‘) and roger mile (72^‘). Karim Maroc closes the gap to the 73^th minute, but the doorman Thomas N’Kono subsequently knew how to keep his clean sheet until the end of regulation time. Victory of Lions 3-2. L’Algeria comes out the back door with a very lackluster participation despite a very good team.

Ouagadougou’s nightmare at CAN 1998

We had to wait for the 1998 and 2000 African Cups to see the two teams face to face again. In 1998, Les Verts found the Cameroonians again during the 3^th round in the group stage. But this time, radical change! I’Algeria from Moussa Saib was already eliminated, after his defeats against the Guinea and the Burkina Faso. Conversely the Cameroon, already qualified, played totally liberated. This did not prevent the comrades from Tchami to emerge victorious 2-1 (goal of Dziri Bilel). The men of Abderrahmane Mehdaoui finish last in the group with zero points on the clock. Sadly eliminated from the 98 World Cup qualifiers, the Algerian team is in the midst of crossing the desert!

CAN 2000, Algeria falls with honors

In the year 2000, after multiple changes at the head of the selection, the Algerian team was led by Birth Sandjak trying to breathe new life into it. Experienced locals (Tasfaout, Zeghdoud or Saïb), and young binational wolves (Kraouche, Mamouni) carry this team. At the CAN, co-organized by Ghana and Nigeria, after a 1^is honorable lap where they finished 2^th of their group, the Greens meet, in the quarter-finals, the ogre of the time: the Cameroon from Samuel Eto’o and Marc-Vivian Foe. Moreover, it is these two players who open the scoring very quickly. 2-0 in less than 15 minutes of play! The teammates of Rafik Saifi are KO standing, but not resigned! In 2^th period, after some judicious changes, the Algerians return with more offensive intentions and make doubt the Lions from Cameroon. It is quite logical that they reduce the brand to 78^th minute on a raging head of Tasfaout which narrowly misses the equalizer a few minutes later. Despite recent Algerian efforts, the score will not change. During this edition of the CAN with its golden generation, the Cameroonfuture Champion, will have trembled only against Algeria.

A heroic draw at CAN 2004 (1-1)

The new impetus was only a chimera. Eliminated from the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups, with a CAN 2002 tasteless, the Algerian selection is brooding. Quite the opposite of the Cameroonians who lifted the African grail in 2000 and 2002. It is quite logical that the teammates of Rigobert Song arrived as big favorites at the 2004 Tunisian CAN. In a group of death, with Egypt, Zimbabwe and Cameroon, no one bet on the Fennecs from Rabah Saadane and Boualem Charef. A workforce and an unstable staff, a chaotic preparation, everything led to believe in a new disappointment. Especially in the first game against Eto’o and his teammates. But it was nothing. Despite constant domination, the Cameroon only manages to score once (Patrick M’Boma) and Algeria managed to equalize Brahim Zafour. The rest of the game The Desert Warriors » carried their nickname well and managed to repel all the opposing attempts. The match ended with a parity score that looked like a victory: 1-1. We then discover the new faces of the Algerian revival who will wear the Algerian colors until the South African World Cup in 2010: Ziani, Yahia, Achiou, Belmadi, Gaouaoui…

Cameroon shatters the Russian dream in 2018

We have to wait until 2016 and the qualifications for the 2018 World Cup, in Russia, to see a new Algerian-Cameroonian confrontation. Haloed by a double participation in the World Cup, and recognized on the international scene after the good performances on Brazilian soil, in 2014, Feghouli and his teammates look like scarecrows, in a group of death (definitely…) composed by theAlgeriathe Cameroonthe Nigeria and the Zambia. But the dream turns into a nightmare. The heroes of Rio are only a shadow of themselves. The first qualifying match pits the two teams against Blida. Despite a quick opening of the score by Sudanesefrom the 7^th min, the teammates of Slimani become amorphous. Moukandjo (24^th min) takes the opportunity to equalize. Final score 1-1.

The departure of Rajevacreplaced by Alcaraz, do not change anything. I’Algeria is at the bottom of the hole. She accumulates defeats against the Nigeria and the Zambia before finding in Yaoundé the indomitable lions. This return match, without Mahrez but already with Bendebka, Bedrane and Bennaceris a remake to go. The Greens attack and dominate the debates. But they are punished twice. First on an offering of Bensebaini at Clinton N’Jie (25′) and at the end of the match on a counter par Pangop (88’) : 2-0 ! Algeria achieves a disastrous qualifying campaign by conceding defeats against Nigeria and Zambia, not deserving of their qualification for the Russian World Cup in 2018.

A single Algerian friendly victory in 1995!

Note that in 1991 and 1995, there were two other friendly matches against the country of roger mile. During a tournament in Senegal (1991), the match ended in a scoreless 0-0. But as in 1984, Cameroon won the penalty shootout 6-5. On the other hand in Gabon (1995), the Greens finally tame the Lions : 4-0 victory (2 goals from Meçabih and 2 goals from Guechir). This is the only victory counted for Algeria.

There could have been a 3^th friendly match in 2011. But the national team of Cameroon did not move to Alger. As often, she was plagued by problems paying bonuses. To demand their bonus, the five-time winners of the CAN went on strike and did not travel to Algiers, provoking the anger of President Raouraoua. To overcome this unexpected, a parody of a friendly match was organized at the July 5 stadium in Algiers between Algerian players: Algeria Vs Algeria with the greens against the whites in the presence of the public…

The leaders of this sling were Samuel Eto’o and Rigobert Song. Today one is president of the federation and the other coach. They want to instill in their foals the spirit of past victories in order to spend the winter in Qatar. I’Algeria who never beat the Cameroon in an official match will have the opportunity to do so during this double tussle. Traumatized by an early elimination at the last CAN, captain Mahrez’s teammates want, despite everything, to go down in history. They have the opportunity to inscribe their names even higher in the pantheon of Algerian football history by being the first to beat the indomitable lions, during an official match. They will then have defeated the “Cameroonian” sign.

Fateh Le Coach, for the Gazette Du Fennec