Print

Mail

wiki links

Indomitable Lions get ready for scrap with Colombia

Colombian goalkeepers Oscar Cordoba, right, and Juan Carlos Henao, joke during a training session in Lyon, central France, yesterday. PHOTO: AP

Cameroon's physical presence will be pitted against Colombia's neat passing game when the two sides meet for a clash of styles in their Confederations Cup semifinal today.

Cameroon's Indomitable Lions have earned a reputation for devouring their opponents in the middle of the park after winning Group B without conceding a goal.

Winfried Schaefer's side bossed Brazil in midfield throughout the second half of last week's opening 1-0 win over the world champions and have not looked back.

Their early exit from last year's World Cup firmly behind them, Cameroon went on to beat Turkey 1-0 and then draw 0-0 with the US with an experimental side.

A major obstacle today will be the absence of striker Samuel Eto'o, scorer of the stunning winner against Brazil, who is back with his club Real Mallorca.

A club versus country row broke out over his return for Saturday's Spanish King's Cup final against Recreativo Huelva with Cameroon now expecting him back for the final in Paris on Sunday if they get through.

FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday: "If they qualified ... Samuel Eto'o would return to the group and could play the match" -- between either France or Turkey.

Colombia's main concern, as skipper Ivan Cordoba readily admitted yesterday, was to avoid being drawn into a game dictated by their opponents.

"They put teams under a lot of pressure, they try to eat them up in midfield," Cordoba told reporters. "We have to get away from that pressure and use the flanks.

Colombia caused France all sorts of problems down the right side in a narrow 1-0 defeat by the hosts, while the nimble footwork and passing of Giovanni Hernandez has earned the playmaker two FIFA Man of the Match awards.

But the South Americans, who beat Japan 1-0 to secure their place in the semi-finals as Group A runners-up, are not underestimating their task at Lyon's Stade Gerland.

"Cameroon are physically very strong and they're well-organized at the back," said Colombia defender Mario Yepes, who could come up against his Nantes team mate Eric Djemba Djemba. "They also have a lot of pace."

Meanwhile, France coach Jacques Santini will rely on experience when the European champions face Turkey in the Confederations Cup semifinals today.

Turkey eliminated world champions Brazil in the biggest upset of the tournament's first round, and a home defeat would put the French back in the doldrums a year after their dismal World Cup campaign.

"You need victories to build up a team," Santini told a news conference yesterday.

"With the knock-out round this is a new tournament which is starting on Thursday," he said. "The experience of certain guys can be crucial in this kind of match."

Reaching the final must be the hosts' minimum aim as they continue their preparations for next year's European championship in Portugal.

Santini is without a number of influential first-choice players, including midfielders Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Zinedine Zidane and Claude Makelele.

Santini put his faith in young players during the first round, but will pick his most experienced side for the rest of the tournament.

Turkey, who finished third in last year's World Cup, ripped Brazil's defense to shreds in the second half of Monday's 2-2 draw in St. Etienne, and Santini is aware of the threat of young striker Tuncay Sanli.

France will probably start with a solid 4-4-2 formation, William Gallas partnering captain Marcel Desailly in central defense flanked by Lilian Thuram and Bixente Lizarazu.

Thierry Henry is sure to lead the attack, possibly partnered by Sidney Govou, who scored the winning goal in the side's 2-1 victory over Japan, instead of Djibril Cisse.
This story has been viewed 1756 times.