A clash of African champions is set to take place on October 16th in Lens, as the Senegal national team, reigning African champions, face off against the formidable Cameroon squad, known as the Indomitable Lions. This friendly match is part of their preparations for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024, scheduled for January in Ivory Coast.
For the title of this highly anticipated encounter, the organizers didn’t have to look far. “Duel of the Lions” was a natural choice, encapsulating the essence of this thrilling showdown between the Teranga Lions of Senegal and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. Combine this with striking images of key players such as Sadio Mané, Vincent Aboubakar, Ismaïla Sarr, Zambo Anguissa, Edouard Mendy, André Onana, and more, and you have the perfect teaser.
Senegal and Cameroon, both qualified for CAN 2024, will lock horns at the Félix-Bollaert Stadium in Lens ahead of the grand tournament in Côte d’Ivoire. This friendly match comes just four days after the draw for the competition, which could potentially place them in the same group, considering that Cameroon is not guaranteed to be a top seed, unlike Senegal.
It will be a clash between two teams eager to regain their confidence and perhaps make a strong comeback. Senegal recently suffered a narrow defeat to Algeria (0-1), while Cameroon had a challenging journey through the CAN qualifiers.
This encounter marks the first meeting between Senegal and Cameroon since January 2017. Their last encounter took place in Gabon during the CAN, a tournament ultimately won by the Indomitable Lions, who eliminated the Teranga Lions in the quarter-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout (0-0; 5-4).
Although many players from that memorable clash have moved on, the spotlight will still be on the two key figures: Sadio Mané, who missed the crucial penalty for Senegal, and Vincent Aboubakar, who converted the decisive spot-kick to secure victory for Cameroon.