By News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
South Africa and Cameroon will renew their age-old rivalry when they clash at the knockout stage in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Round of 16 at Rabat’s Al Medina Stadium on Sunday.
It will be their second AFCON meeting and first this century, nearly three decades after Bafana Bafana’s famous 3-0 win over Cameroon in 1996.
That victory launched South Africa’s fairytale title run, with Phil Masinga, Mark Williams and John Moshoeu writing their names into continental folklore.
Overall, the teams have met nine times, with South Africa winning three, Cameroon one, and five matches ending in draws.
South Africa remain unbeaten in seven meetings since 1992, a run that underlines their historical edge over the Indomitable Lions.
Interestingly, current Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, once led Cameroon, adding intrigue to this knockout showdown.
Broos oversaw Cameroon during 2017 AFCON qualification when both fixtures against South Africa ended in draws.
Cameroon qualified for the 2017 finals under Broos, while South Africa narrowly missed out, a painful memory for Bafana fans.
Now in charge of South Africa, Broos brings AFCON-winning pedigree, having guided Cameroon to the 2017 title in Gabon.
“Cameroon is a team I know very well, but this is a new story,” Broos said. “Knockout football is about discipline, courage and belief.”
South Africa arrive confident after winning two group matches, a feat they last achieved at AFCON 2000.
They defeated Angola and Zimbabwe, in spite of conceding in all three group games for the first time since 1998.
South Africa are competing in the Round of 16 for the third time and have won both previous ties without conceding a goal.
“All our Round of 16 goals came in the second half,” Broos noted. “That shows patience and a strong mentality.”
A win would send South Africa into the quarter-finals for a seventh time and possibly a third under Broos.
Attacking pair, Lyle Foster and Oswin Appollis, have scored twice each, driving South Africa’s attacking threat.
Another goal would make either of them the first South African to score three goals at AFCON since Shaun Bartlett in 2000.
Cameroon, meanwhile, qualified after beating Gabon and Mozambique, and drawing with hosts Côte D’Ivoire.
Their comeback win against Mozambique marked their first open-play comeback at AFCON since 2021.
“This team has character and resilience,” Cameroon coach, David Pagou, said. “We showed it by fighting back when it mattered most.”
Cameroon have scored just four group-stage goals, their lowest tally since 2019, but conceded only twice.
Pagou stressed balance over flair, saying, “At this stage, efficiency is more important than beauty.”
The Indomitable Lions are appearing in the knockout rounds for the 17th time and chasing an 11th quarter-final berth.
However, Cameroon have been eliminated in the Round of 16 in two of their last three appearances.
They have never kept a clean sheet at this stage, a statistic South Africa will hope to exploit.
Christian Kofane, scorer of the decisive goal against Mozambique, leads Cameroon’s attack with confidence.
“South Africa are organised, but we believe in our strength and history,” Pagou said.
“This is AFCON; anything can happen.”
With history, tactics and form colliding, Rabat is set for a compelling African classic under the lights.
