Poor showings from Ghana and Cameroon last night, have got many fans skeptical about the continent’s chances of posing a real threat when the real tournament kicks-off in 9 days time. Ghana were demolished 4-1 by the Netherlands while the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon were hammered 3-1 by Portugal.
These two defeats especially Cameroon’s should serve as a warning to the rest of the continent’s representatives that they should indeed brace themselves for a tough battle. The Ivory Coast have at least shown that they have what it takes to play with the big boys.
Drawing 2-2 with Paraguay after leading play for most of the match is a strong indication that no doubt gives their Group G opponents Brazil and Portugal something to worry about. We can argue that both Holland and Portugal had home advantage and that it will be a different story when the actual tournament begins however, losing by such big margins sends out an entirely different message to both these teams group opponents.
Despite the host nation’s good performances in recent friendlies, no one expects them to go far. That leaves Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast to shoulder the expectations of at least 1 billion fans. This won’t be an easy task and as time ticks away to the June 11th kick-off, last night’s results should be a stern wake up call to the rest of the Continent’s representatives.