Canada vs Cameroon: The Indomitable Lionesses - Africa’s only hope? ...Elume Raymond – Sports Analyst

A second consecutive World Cup appearance, having qualified for a major tournament for the
first time as recently as the 2012 Olympics, confirms the impression Cameroon made four years
ago as a team on the rise.

 One of the surprises of the tournament in 2015, Cameroon beat
Switzerland in the group phase and became just the second African team to reach the knockout
round -- matching the total number of knockout games Nigeria had played in its seven World
Cups prior to this year. Where African teams like South Africa and Nigeria were unable to
overcome stiff opposition on their World Cup debuts, Cameroon's encounter against Canada
presents itself as Africa’s only hope for a victory and that (im)possible victory strengthens its
foothold in the international game.
After winning medals in each of the past two Olympics -- the only CONCACAF team that can make
that claim -- Canada will try to finish on the podium in a World Cup for the first time.

 A quarterfinal appearance four years ago marked the second-best showing for the Canadians in a
World Cup (they finished fourth in 2003), but it also felt like a missed opportunity for a team that
was blessed with the twin luxuries of both hosting that tournament and Christine Sinclair in her
prime.

 Now the challenge is to prove that a well-regarded youth movement has matured in time
to give Sinclair, who turns 36 during the group phase but is still in fine form, one more shot at a
trophy.

 Previous Meetings in Major Tournaments
None
Recent form
Canada
27 Feb 2019: Canada-Island: 0-0
1 Mar 2019: Scotland-Canada: 0-1
6 Mar 2019: Canada-Sweden: 0-0
8 Apr 2019: Canada-Nigeria: 2-1
24 May 2019: Spain-Canada: 2-7
Cameroon
4 Apr 2019: Cameroon-Croatia: 2-1
7 Apr 2019: China-Cameroon: 1-0
17 May 2019: Spain-Cameroon: 4-0.

What Canada must do to win it - Strengths/Weaknesses
Canada enter the World Cup as favourites to top


 Group E.
Christine Sinclair, is the most important player in the squad and will have to lead the way.

She heads into the World Cup having reached 180 goals and Canada’s success will be dependent on
how far their captain can take them. If Sinclair gets the desired help from players such as Janine
Beckie, Jordyn Huitema, Deanne Rose and Jessie Fleming, as well as the veterans Sophie Schmidt,
Diana Matheson, and Desiree Scott, Canada have a great chance of going far in France. If not,
they will struggle.

Canada are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation with the full-backs, Ashley Lawrence and
Allysha Chapman, pushing forward. From that source, Canada will look to get balls into the box
to Sinclair, Beckie and Rose and will look to use their aerial advantage. Kadeisha Buchanan is the
rock that anchors Canada’s defence. The Lyon centre-back is brilliant at set-pieces at both ends
of the pitch and has the speed, strength and ability to snuff out chances. Shelina Zadorsky and
Rebecca Quinn are both in the frame to partner Buchanan in central defence.

 If the team has a weakness, it is a lack of support for Sinclair up top. If Sinclair has to track back
into the midfield to get the ball, it is going to be a short tournament for Canada. Sinclair’s
teammates have to feed her the ball as in those games Sinclair has been isolated, Canada have
struggled to get results against tier-one opposition.

X-factor for the game: Jordyn Huitema
They say that defence wins championships, and Canada’s defence in preparation for the World
Cup has been outstanding. In 2019, Canada have won four out of six (up to mid-May), with 1-0
wins over Norway, Scotland and England. Their defensive shape has helped earn them five clean
sheets. The 32-year-old Steph Labbé will be Canada’s No 1 goalkeeper and Erin McLeod’s veteran
presence and leadership could be a strong asset to a young Canada squad.

What Cameroon must do to win it - Strengths/Weaknesses.


They usually start in a 4-3-3 formation, reliant on the players’ hard work and
aggressiveness to win games. Blessed with a plethora of talented attackers, the Indomitable Lionesses prefer to
play on the counter. Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné and Ajara Nchout Njoya are
pacy and clever and  play with the sort of pragmatism that makes them thorns in the flesh of rival defenders.

 Cameroon have a solid supply line from the midfield to the attack
courtesy of the superbly versatile Raissa Feudjio but the ability to stop the opponents is down to the holding midfielder,
Genevieve Ngo Mbeleck, whose incredible work rate is key to the team.
This is a group that knows what awaits in France. Of the 13 players who spent
time on the field in the knockout-round loss to China in 2015, 12 are part of the roster four years later.



There are almost as many holdovers from the 2012 Olympics. With an average age beyond 27 years, it is a
veteran team. It is also a team that added some fresh depth this time with American-born players
Michaela Abam and Estelle Johnson.
Yet it might also be a rusty team. Two games in China in April and a May warm-up friendly against
Spain were the only full-fledged international games played between qualifying last November
and the start of the World Cup.


X-factor for the game: Ajara Nchout Njoya
Only France, Germany, Switzerland and the United States finished the 2015 World Cup with a
better goal differential than Cameroon, which scored five more goals than it conceded in four
games.

Granted, that had a lot to do with piling up goals against Ecuador in group play, but it also
says something about how
competitive Cameroon was from start to finish in its World Cup debut.

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