Nigeria and Cameroon will renew their rivalry again in the Round of 16 stage of the ongoing 34th Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday.
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions who denied the Super Eagles three AFCON titles by the championship game in 1984, 1988 and 2000, defeated The Gambia 3-2 in their last Group C clash last night to upstage Guinea to the runner up spot of the group.
Defending champions Senegal trounced Guinea 2-0 to finish on maximum nine points on top of the group.
Both Guinea and Cameroon finished on four points each but superior +5 goals advantage gave the Indomitable Lions the edge over the Syli Nacional.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Monday night similarly finished on same seven points with Equatorial Guinea but missed the top spot due to the superior goals difference of the team from Malabo.
The Syli Nacional however, look certain to be among the best four third placed teams to progress to the Round of 16.
Defending champions Senegal’s Teranga Lions, winners of all group matches, will wait for the third best placed teams from Groups A, B or F to know who they
will play in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles stand-in Captain, William Troost-Ekong has said he will be back in training later this week after a knee injury sidelined him out of the team’s final AFCON group game against Guinea Bissau.
The PAOK central defender suffered the injury in the Eagles 1-0 win over AFCON hosts Cote d’Ivoire.
Eagles who observed yesterday as rest day will resume training today ahead of their Saturday clash with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
The team’s major injury doubt remains Antwerp midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, who has yet to return to full team training after the thigh injury that forced him out of the opening group game against Equatorial Guinea.
The 23-year-old box-to-box midfielder has himself said he hopes to be back for the knockout rounds of the competition after a scan showed the injury was not as serious as first feared.
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