5 rivalries that define the African Cup of Nations

#4 Nigeria vs. Cameroon

MONASTIR, TUNISIA - FEBRUARY 8: Kanu of Nigeria tries to break through the Cameroon defence during the African Nations Cup 2004 1/4 Final match between Cameroon and Nigeria at the Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium on February 8, 2004 in Monastir, Tunisia. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) — This rivalry was built on meetings in the final, with both teams battling purely as competitors for glory

A rivalry that has fizzled out in recent years with both teams falling down the pecking order of African football, Cameroon and Nigeria have had some memorable clashes in the Cup of Nations. The first time they met in this tournament was in the final of 1984, with the legendary Roger Milla in the line-up for Cameroon.

While Milla didn’t score, Cameroon claimed their 1^st AFCON title with a 3 – 1 win over the Super Eagles. Nigeria’s misfortune continued to their next meeting, with Cameroon claiming their 2^nd title in 1988 with a 1 – 0 win in the final.

Their clash in 1992 would serve as some consolation for Nigeria but rewarded them only the 3^rd place in the tournament – yet another consolation.

As luck would have it, their next clash came in 2000, again in the final which ended after extra time at 2 – 2 with Samuel Eto’o on the scoresheet for Cameroon. After a nerve-racking penalty shootout, Cameroon would prevail 4 – 3 for their 3^rd Cup of Nations title, all of which they won against Nigeria. No wonder then, that beating them in the quarter finals of 2004 before having to settle for another 3^rd place finish would have come as scant consolation for Nigeria.