14 - 20 February 2002
Issue No.573
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 February 2002 Issue No.573 |
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Cheers for Cameroon
After playing 120 minutes of scoreless football, Cameroon shot down Senegal in the penalty shootout to take the African Nations Cup for a fourth time. Abeer Anwar reports on an indomitable spirit
Cameroon retained the African Nations Cup (ANC) with a dramatic 3-2 penalty shootout win against Senegal.
Cameroon's Lamine Diatta is tackled by Cameroon's Geremi Njitap (photo AP)
Goalkeeper Boukar Alioum saved two penalties to give Cameroon a shootout victory for the second successive final as they became the first country in 27 years to retain the trophy.
Cameroon, the Indomitable Lions who had not conceded a goal in their six matches at the tournament, dominated on Sunday against a Senegal team making their first appearance in the final.
Senegal had the early advantage in the shootout after Pierre Wome's opening kick for Cameroon was saved by goalkeeper Tony Sylva. But Alioum's save from Amdy Faye and a miss by El Hadj Ousseynou Diouf saw the odds swing in favour of the defending champions.
The match was a tight encounter watched by a crowd overflowing the 50,000 capacity of Bamako's new March 2nd stadium.
As both teams tired in extra time, Cameroon could have broken the deadlock when Wome whipped in a perfect cross from the left but the unmarked Ndiefi headed wide at the back post.
Just seconds before the final whistle, Sylva came to Senegal's rescue with a quick dash off his line to thwart Eto'o as Cameroon came close to snatching a dramatic victory. Instead, they had to rely on penalties to keep hold of the trophy.
After the match, thousands of soccer fans in Cameroon poured onto the streets singing, dancing and waving flags to celebrate.
Cars -- with revellers piled onto the roofs and hanging out of the windows -- sped through the capital, Yaounde, to the cheers and whistles of onlookers. They packed Yaounde's bars and nightclubs.
Street vendor Andre Fondja was doing a roaring trade selling phone cards to people who wanted to discuss the win with friends and relatives.
In the western town of Kumba, hundreds gathered at the home of Pius Ndiefi, who had three of Cameroon's best shots at goal. A local brewery handed out free drinks to the singing and dancing throng.
"I am very, very happy to watch my son play the finals," said Ndiefi's proud mother, Lydia. "I feel that he should have been playing all the matches from beginning to end."
Many, however, were surprised by how tough the game was against Senegal, which until recently was a minor presence in African soccer.
In Senegal, at least one young fan was in tears as residents of the capital, Dakar, descended onto the streets to discuss with friends and neighbours what might have been. "When Senegal missed those goals, I just cried," said 12-year-old Therese James.
It was Senegal's first African Cup final, and hopes had been running high for the Dakar Lions after they also qualified for their first World Cup later this year.
"It's a shame it came to a penalty shootout because we'll never know who is the best," said taxi driver Bamba Ngom.
Streets emptied an hour before the game started as people clustered around their television sets and radios. The government set up giant screens in some of the city's poorest neighbourhoods.
Abdou Fall, a carpenter who plays on his neighbourhood soccer team, was philosophical about the loss. "Someone has to win and someone has to lose," he said. "They played well and went all the way to the penalty shootout."
A day earlier, Nigeria defeated host nation Mali 1-0 in Mopti to win the bronze medal and third place at the Nations Cup.
The decisive goal was scored in the 29th minute by striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni, one of many new faces on the Nigerian team for the play-off encounter.
But Nigeria held on, their experience proving to be too much for Mali's greater enterprise and imagination.
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