South Africa and Cameroon will accommodated at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations for alone the additional time aback they face off in the Round of 16 at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat on Sunday at 20h00 bounded time (19h00 GMT), with a abode in the quarter-finals at stake.
Despite their abiding attendance on the continental stage, the two abandon accept beyond paths sparingly at Africa’s arch tournament. Their alone antecedent TotalEnergies CAF AFCON affair dates aback to the aperture bout of the 1996 edition, aback hosts South Africa claimed a memorable 3-0 achievement over Cameroon at Soccer City – ablution Bafana Bafana’s celebrated run to their beginning continental title.
Across all competitions, South Africa and Cameroon accept met nine times. Bafana Bafana authority a slight actual advantage with three victories, while Cameroon accept won once, with bristles encounters catastrophe in draws. Cameroon’s alone success adjoin South Africa came in a 2-1 affable win in July 1992, and the Indomitable Lions accept not baffled Bafana Bafana in the seven matches played back afresh (W2 D5). South Africa accept additionally recorded three apple-pie bedding in this fixture, compared to one for Cameroon.
The bout carries added acceptation for South Africa arch drillmaster Hugo Broos, who ahead led Cameroon to their fifth TotalEnergies CAF AFCON appellation in 2017. The Belgian was in allegation of the Indomitable Lions aback the teams met during accomplishment for the 2017 tournament, with both matches catastrophe in 2-2 draws.
Broos will additionally be abutting on the touchline by abettor drillmaster Helman Mkhalele, who featured as a acting in South Africa’s iconic 1996 AFCON aperture bout adjoin Cameroon.
While affections may run high, both teams access in Rabat bent to appoint themselves in what promises to be a deeply contested knockout fixture.
South Africa appear into the tie gluttonous to body on contempo advance at the Africa Cup of Nations and to beat their antecedent clash performance, while Cameroon, five-time champions, abide their adventure with a band declared by their abstruse agents as actuality beneath architecture but affective in the appropriate direction.
With the aftermost three affairs amid the abandon all catastrophe in draws, including both matches in 2017 AFCON accomplishment and a affable in January 2015, accomplished margins are accepted to already afresh ascertain the aftereffect in Rabat.
What they said:
Hugo Broos (South Africa Arch Coach): “If you win an AFCON with the country, there’s consistently a little abode in your affection that stays for the blow of your life. And that’s the case additionally with Cameroon and me. It will consistently be there, but tomorrow I can’t accept mercy. I appetite to win the bold tomorrow because I’m drillmaster of South Africa now. But it’s a appropriate game, I accept to say that. That doesn’t beggarly that we are not activity to action tomorrow.”
Teboho Mokoena (South Africa Player):
“The allocution in the affected is that we charge to do bigger than we did in the aftermost AFCON. So we apperceive it will be a boxy bold adjoin Cameroon but we are of advance attractive advanced to the game.”
David Pagou (Cameroon Arch Coach): “What we appetite to instil in our players is the charge to break focused and comedy to their abounding potential, relying on our own qualities. We are adverse a actual able South African aggregation that we apperceive actual well. They accept absolutely accomplished a aerial akin of aggregate play, accepting been calm for a continued time; in my opinion, they are the best adamant aggregation in this competition. It will be a actual difficult match, but as I told my players, it is a point of pride aloof to be here.”
Samuel Kotto (Cameroon Player): “A lot of assignment and alertness is underway in the team. It is a amount of abundant pride to represent our country. Actuality actuality is the aftereffect of adamantine assignment and the abutment of my teammates; we are like a family.”
Key Bout Stat The aftermost three affairs amid South Africa and Cameroon accept all concluded in draws, including a affable on 10 January 2015 and both matches during accomplishment for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.