Nigeria and Cameroun by virtue of being semi-finalists in the 2010 edition of the competition were drawn by in the preliminary round and only saw action in the final round of the Qualifiers.
The Lionesses accounted for Ghana's absence in this competition with a 9-8 aggregate win on penalty after both legs finished 1-1 apiece while Nigeria defeated Zimbabwe 6-0 on aggregate to qualify for the competition.
At the last AWC, Nigeria and Cameroun met in the semi-final with the Super Falcons inflicting a humiliating 5-1 defeat on the Camerounian ladies but some months later, the Indomitable Lionesses defeated the Nigerian gals 2-1 in Yaounde for a 3-3 aggregate and then went on to prevail via penalties to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.
Hence, the setting in Bata on Monday, when Nigeria takes on Cameroun will bear a semblance of a revenge mission as the Nigerian team will seek to avenge their ouster from the Summer Olympics while the Camerounians will want to defeat the Nigerians again to prove their superiority and that the victory in the Olympic Qualifier was not a fluke.
The Super Falcons are without Desire Oparanozie, Osinachi Ohale and Faith Ikidi in this tournament but the Camerounians tormentor-in-chief when they met in the 2010 AWC, Perpetua Nkwocha, is still very much around and she's set a lofty 15-goals target for herself in this competition and will want to open her goal-scoring account tomorrow while the Lionesses' team remains largely unchanged from the team that featured in the 2010 AWC and the 2012 Olympics.
Apart from the historical rivalry and bragging rights, the stakes in this match has also being heightened by the Bakassi issue. Also, this match is important for both teams as a win tomorrow is 50% guaranty of a spot in the semi-finals as the other group opponents, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast don't have female football pedigree.
The Super Falcons play more of "flair" football depending on nimble footwork, skill, speed and the individual ability of players like Glory Iroka, Ngozi Okobi, Esther Sunday, Stella Mbachu, Ebere Ngozi, Perpetua Nkwocha, Helen Ukaonu etc while their opponents play more as a team and rely less on individual flair. Like their male counterparts, the lionesses are very physical, brawny, tenacious and workaholic, full of running and have a "never say die" spirit.
Nigeria and Cameroun are no strangers to themselves at this level and have in fact played themselves many times with either sides recording wins and losses so history may not count for much as both teams square up tomorrow.
Kick-off is 2.30PM Nigerian time (3.30PM South African time) and it'd be on SuperSport 3.
So what's your prediction? Drop your comments/opinions or just wish the Super Falcons Goodluck tongue
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