Cameroon 1-1 Angola: Indomitable Lions match notes

André Onana (6): As usual, he made good contact with the ball and pulled off a classy save from Mabululu’s powerful header. Onana was deceived by Ngadeu, who crossed the ball far too far for the Manchester United keeper to touch it.

Nouhou Tolo (5.5): He was his usual self. Struggle, solid, aggressive, indomitable and obviously limited in his attacking impact with crosses that never hit the target. The Cameroon full-back was nevertheless praised for his dynamism and dedication on the pitch. To his credit, he was able to counter the attacks coming from the right of the Angolan team.

Michael Ngadeu (5): It was not the best day for the returning Michael Ngadeu. While the player was keen to repeat his good performance in Yaoundé, his opponents looked much stronger. Physically weighed down by the weight of his age, and sometimes borrowed, the former Gantoise player in Belgium also made some complicated restarts. He did not always dominate these aerial duels with the Angolan players. To make matters worse, he scored an own goal, although his performance up to that point had been acceptable. However, not everything has to go to waste, as he brings his experience and enthusiasm to the whole rearguard.

Christopher Wooh (6): Apart from his XXL save from Mabulu’s shot early in the game, he was content to be present. With the help of Hongla and Baleba, he did his best to keep out any Angolan attempts to break through. However, he is gaining in experience and is gradually establishing himself as the present and future of the Indomitable Lions, on a par with players like Carlos Baleba.

Tchatchoua Bertin (5): The defender who suffered the most. Perhaps not helped enough defensively by Bryan Mbeumo (despite his best efforts, this is not his strong point), he was regularly titillated by the Angolan attack. The equalising goal came from his side. He gave a better account of himself at the Stade Omnisport a few days ago.

Carlos Baleba (6.5): Another excellent performance from the 20-year-old. His performance epitomised the spirit of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon during this truce. A real physical mountain, he has outstanding ball control and passes that cut through the lines. What’s more, he came close to scoring the winner after controlling the ball several times with great class and with a speed of execution that stood out. However, he still has a few mistakes to make and has plenty of room for improvement.

Martin Hongla (5.5): He ran and ran down dozens of kilometres. He was also as aggressive as we know him to be. He often covered up for Carlos Baleba and Zambo Anguissa’s rising runs. No genius on the offensive side.

André Zambo Anguissa (5.5): A game of contrasts, alternating the good with the not-so-good. Solid in duels, precise with his passes, a radiant presence in the game in the first half, but in the second half he was transparent and invisible. He often kept the ball too long for nothing. The Napoli midfielder is undoubtedly the real leader of the Indomitable Lions’ central trio, but he often has moments when he loses concentration that raise questions. He gives instructions to his younger colleagues, particularly Carlos Baleba.

Bryan Mbeumo (6.5): A big enigma. Apart from his goal in the first quarter of an hour, he made a few poor choices and did not have his usual impact on the game. He sometimes seemed out of sync with his team-mates in attacking phases. Each waiting for the other to make a call or provide a pass that never came. His left foot completely disappeared in the second half. However, he remains the midfielder with the most maturity, the one from whom the last pass can come at any moment.

Aboubakar Vincent (5): The national abouchou ran around a lot, giving his all up front. For a player of his age, that’s a definite disadvantage. As a result, the captain failed to take advantage of the goal-scoring opportunities he usually converts. However, he was a real handful for the defence, and his breakaway moves enabled the team to get back into the game on several occasions in the second half. Overall, he got through the match without any magic moments, but the Lions fans will forgive him for that.

Marc Brys (5.5): He surprised everyone by replacing Bassogog with Olivier Ntcham, who was more of a central midfielder, without changing his system. He was also keen to keep Zambo Anguissa and Aboubakar Vincent in for the final 20 minutes, when they were physically knocked out. They looked like the Siamese twins of Song Bahanack. But the Belgian, who spoke about the Indomitable Lions match, is coping very well with the international break. In the midst of a dispute with Fecafoot, he has the honour, or the chance, to get away with acceptable results on the pitch.

The editors of Lattaquant.com have chosen not to mention O. Ntcham and Bassogog, who only played part of the match. The former played in a position that is not his and was dangerous with a shot, while the latter made a decisive pass before leaving with an injury.

It should be noted that Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o was not present in Luanda. The Indomitable Lions’ all-time top scorer was spotted in Paris, where he is due to appear in Mike Maignan and Tchouameni’s podcast with Cédric Doumbé. Time for him to forget all the discord he currently has with senior figures in government and football.