Cameroon’s coach satisfied with derby win over Congo

Cameroon edged Congo in a keenly contested battle.

CHAN Cameroon’s coach satisfied with derby win over Congo

Izuchukwu Akawor 16:29 - 17.01.2023

The Indomitable Lions are on cloud nine having sealed revenge over their fierce regional rivals.

The Indomitable Lions gave their manager Alioum Saidou something to smile about following a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Red Devils during their Group E battle at Stade Olympique d'Oran on Monday.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.co.ke/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Jerome Ngom Mbekeli was the hero of the Lions in the regional derby as he scored the decisive winner through a header in the second-half to give his side the win and three points.

Alioum satisfied with the win

With the result on Monday night, the former Cameroon international registered his first win in the competition with the Indomitables.

It was a development he later revealed left him satisfied despite how profligate his side was.

“I am very happy because it was very complicated game especially in this competition," he told CAF media. "I had to motivate the players to win the game. We did it and we are very happy to win this game,” Saidou added.

The game in brief

Cameroon dominated the encounter in Oran but had to wait until in the second half to break down their stubborn regional rivals.

Cameroon defeated their regional rivals in a tight encounter.

The last time both sides met, it was the Red Devils who escaped with a 2-1 win. So, the Lions came into the game looking for revenge having faced the Devils twice without a win.

Cameroon had almost 60% of the ball, made 10 attempts on the Congolese goal area but only managed just three efforts on target.

For an hour, they struggled to turn their dominance into something tangible as Congo held on tightly.

The key moment

However, three minutes after the hour mark, the decisive moment arrived when Mbekeli rose highest to superb thunder home Ramses Nguimzeu’s cross.

It was no less than the Indomitable Lions deserved, though they had to stay alert to stop a late attack from the Red Devils en route to the three points - which they did well to hold on to.

Related content