WAFCON 2022: Cameroon, Tunisia battle for positions in Group B
Zambia will be confident of taking top spot in Group B at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as they prepare to meet minnows Togo in their final pool stage match in Rabat on Saturday, but there will be an almighty battle between Tunisia and Cameroon to join them in the quarterfinals.
Zambia currently top the pool with four points from their two games to date, followed by Tunisia (three points), Cameroon (two) and Togo (one).
The Copper Queens are already assured of a place in the next stage but finishing top of the pool should, in theory, provide an easier quarterfinal and give them a greater chance of qualifying for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.
But the way things are looking, that is not necessarily the case.
The semifinalists in Morocco qualify automatically for the global showpiece and two of the losing quarterfinalists go through a difficult route via the inter-continental play-offs that will be staged in New Zealand next year.
All things are possible going into the final round of matches in the pool, with the real skirmish the one between Cameroon and Tunisia in Casablanca.
As long as Togo don’t beat Zambia, Cameroon should be assured of a place in the next stage, but whether they finished first, second or third in the pool will be vital to their quarterfinal chances.
The winner of Group B will take on Senegal in the knockout stages, which will be no easy assignment, while the runner-up will mostly likely have to face Nigeria depending on how Group C pans out.
Finishing third in the pool will likely set up a meeting against South Africa, so in truth it is three incredibly tough fixtures, with perhaps a clash against the Senegalese the slightly more palatable.
Tunisia coach Samir Landolsi says his side will be the underdogs in the fixture against Cameroon, who have stumbled to two draws in the competition so far.
“They have experience in this competition, they know its inner workings,” says Landolsi. “If Cameroon is below its level, Tunisia is also below ours. Against Zambia, we were not effective. We were like we were anesthetized; the ball was not advancing.”
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Cameroon coach Gabriel Zabo has in turn described Tunisia as the favourites in a bitter battle to be perceived as the underdog.
“It will be a difficult and complicated game. But Tunisia is the favourite because it already has three points we only have two. We expect a very difficult match for Cameroon,” Zabo says.
“We have shortcomings, we must work on them, we must correct them, but we will have to win. To win you have to score a goal more than the opponent and we have a lot of possibilities to be able to do it.
“You can’t be at a CAN without being under pressure. The pressure is not bad for a competitor. This pressure must be digested to make it positive [and improve] performance.”