Egypt first real test for Cameroon: Feutmba

CAMEROON will have their biggest test in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) when they meet Egypt in the semifinal at Olembe Stadium tomorrow at 9pm.

This is the view of former Cameroon player Roger Feutmba as he feels the host nation has not been tested in this tournament.

In the matches they have played so far, the Indomitable Lions have defeated Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Comoros and Gambia and drawn with Cape Verde.

Feutmba feels they have been having it easy in the tournament.

“This will be the first game for Cameroon in this tournament, that’s the first one,” Feutmba told Sowetan on Monday.

“They have not played tough teams and this will be the biggest test for us and it will be a good game to watch.

“They have to go into that game believing in themselves that they can do it. We beat Egypt in 2017, so we can still do it, but you can’t take anything away from them. They are a quality team.”

The 53-year-old, who played for Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premier Soccer League, predicted a difficult encounter for Cameroon against Egypt and that home advantage could play a role for them in the end.

“With Cameroon playing at home they might have a slight advantage and they have managed to score 11 goals since the competition started, and that’s positive signs that they are one of the teams to count on,” he said.

“But it will be very difficult playing against a team like Egypt, a quality team and quality players and it will be a tough game for both sides.

“I believe that at the end of the day, the team that will want it more will go through, the team that will show determination and hunger.

“But truly speaking, the overall [standard] of the competition when it comes to quality football, I don’t know if it is due to COVID-19, but the standard is not high compared to what we used to have before.

“That’s the fact. Cameroon have been winning but their best game was their last against Gambia because Gambia didn’t want to play and gave them space.

“But all these teams in this competition have been at the same level; you can’t even predict who will go through.”