Indomitable Lionesses: More Efforts Required

The essential has been done. Cameroon is through to the third round qualifiers to the 2024 Olympic Women’s Football Tournament. An impressive 3-0 victory over Uganda at the Bepanda Reunification Stadium in Douala on October 31, 2023, saw the team bouncing back from a 0-2 defeat in the first-leg, underscoring their tenacity and the ability to rise against the odds. But this just opens the page of a tougher adventure especially as Cameroon meets Nigeria in the next round. It is thus a call to look into what did not work in the double confrontation against Uganda and devise better strategies for the future.
In the first-leg at the FUFA Technical Centre-Njeru on October 26, 2023, the Lionesses were beaten 0-2. Principally, due to the challenges encountered in finishing. But this negative output was the end product of a whole system that lacked the necessary mechanism to move, starting from the goalkeeping compartment. In fact, Cameroon presented a picture of being too confident but were caught up in their own ego as the Ugandans made use of their opportunities. True, conceding two goals was a bad bid for the Lionesses and Coach Jean Baptiste Bisseck knew the game in Douala was a “do or die” one.
Reason why he presented an almost new team in Douala. He started by putting goalkeeper Michaely Bihina on the bench to start with Cathy Biya. He moved to the defence bringing in Colette Ndzana while Mbele was pushed upfront. Maague and Meffometou kept their places as Manbolamo was preferred to Essimi.
In the midfield, Omboudou and Eto’o were maintained but Aretouyap was swapped for Monique Ngock. And then the attacking starters moved from Ossol-Nchout-Ngah Manga in the first leg to Mbele-Nchout-Onguéné. A change in the starting line-up whic...