By Fawaz Adebisi
The Africa Cup of Nations 2023 will witness a mouth-watering clash between Cameroon and Nigeria in the round of 16 on Saturday, January 27, 2024.
The two West African giants will renew their rivalry at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, with both teams aiming to reach the quarter-finals.
Cameroon and Nigeria have a long history of encounters at the continental showpiece, having met eight times before, with four wins for Cameroon, two for Nigeria and two draws.
The most memorable of these meetings was the 2000 final, which Cameroon won on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Lagos.
The last time they faced each other was at the 2019 edition in Egypt, where Nigeria came from behind to beat Cameroon 3-2 in the round of 16.
Odion Ighalo scored twice and Alex Iwobi netted the winner for the Super Eagles, while Stephane Bahoken and Clinton Njie scored for the Indomitable Lions.
They qualified for the round of 16 as the runners-up of Group B, behind Senegal. They won two games and lost one, scoring six goals and conceding three.
Nigeria are the third most successful team in the tournament’s history, with three titles to their name.
They finished second in Group A, behind hosts Ivory Coast. They also won two games and lost one, scoring five goals and conceding four.
Both teams have some of the best players in Africa, such as Samuel Eto’o, Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for Cameroon, and Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho for Nigeria.
The match is expected to be a thrilling and tense affair, as both teams will not want to repeat their mistakes from 2019. The question is, will Nigeria repeat their comeback victory, or will Cameroon avenge their defeat and retain their crown?
