World Cup 2010- Group E: Cameroon faces Denmark in a must win for both the teams.
In the starting games of Group E, both Cameroon and Denmark were humbled by their opposition, suffering defeats, courtesy of Japan and Netherlands respectively. Denmark were softened by the Dutch with a 2-0 bashing which included an own goal as well. Cameroon although played reasonable football. A first-half strike from Japanese attacking midfielder Honda was enough to sink the African footballer. Cameroon and Denmark therefore looked poised to settle for nothing less than a win, as that was the only chance for them to reach the Round of 16.
Denmark has lost their last three matches and has also, disappointedly, failed to score in any of them. This would be a huge concern for Danish coach Morten Olsen. With players Tomasson and Daniel Jensen sidelined, Arsenal front man Nicholas Bendtner led the attack against Japan. Bendtner however was not working at hundred percent owing to a lengthy groin injury. Denmark shouldn’t have much complains as an own goal just at the summit of the second half led to the inevitable destruction by the ‘Oranje’.
Cameroon has their wounds to dress as well. After displaying a rather nervy, if not below par performance against the Japanese side, the Cameroon side vowed to come back stronger. Cameroon captain and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o had a rather quiet performance by his standards against the Japanese. A 4-3-3 formation along with a resolute Japanese defence proved to be too hot for the Africans as the gamble didn’t pay off. Paul Le Guen, the Cameroon coach admitted to the fact that his side were below their best. Cameroon needs to reorganise against the Danes if they dream of having a shot at qualifying for the next round. This group also seems to be going down the wire to determine which two teams would qualify and who will take the next flight home.
Eto’o is the player to watch out for and containing him will be important for the Danes. He may have a quiet performance against the Japanese, but Eto’o showed signs of his usual quality in the second half. He is set to come back stronger when he stating, “We had a lot of chances in the second half but not so many in the first but we dominated. Now we have to work. We can't make any more errors and now we have to win against Denmark”. Cameroon will virtually have no excuses as they have no players suspended or injured, and would enjoy the freedom to choose from a fully fit squad.
The highly rated Liverpool defender Daniel Agger should also get his mind straight, even if he did cause his side to self-destruct. Liverpool paid a record breaking transfer fee for the defender. Agger thus has no lack of talent. Denmark has gone through eight matches without a red card in their FIFA World Cup fixtures, which makes it evident that they don’t lack the defensive quality and discipline to control the Cameroon attack. The bad news however is that Denmark will be without Kjaer, Jensen, Beckmann and Tomasson. All three have been sidelined by respective injuries. None of them would have made much of a difference really, but it limits Coach Olsen’s options.
The sides have met twice before, with each winning one with the same lead of 3-0. This makes the match even more interesting, as to decide which team will have the last laugh. Both sides have almost the same circumstances with everything to win.
Cameroon would have a slight advantage in terms of team selection and the fire power of Samuel Eto’o, who will definitely want to pickup his game for his country. Alexendre Song is also expected to be included in the final eleven as the Arsenal man could prove to be the inspiration that Cameroon needs in order to avenge their defeat against Japan. Cameroon is set to win this fixture, making it 2 out of 3 for the Danish side, with Eto’o proving too hot to handle. Cameroon would then go on to the final fixture against the Netherlands with hopes to defeat them and advance to the next round.
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