Four days into the first Winter FIFA World Cup in Qatar, African teams are yet to record any goal in the tournament. Five African countries; Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Cameroon, made it to the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup in a competition expected to be the most-watched tournament in history.
5 billion people are expected to watch the tournament, and Showmax Pro, a live sports streaming service, is providing viewers with a premium 4k viewing experience for all the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup matches.
Senegal was the first African country to play in the competition but succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands, while Morocco and Tunisia had a goalless draw against Croatia and Denmark. However, the continent is looking forward to the match between Cameroon vs Switzerland and Ghana vs Portugal for a turnaround.
Ghana last encountered Portugal in a World Cup in 2014, where a late goal from Ronaldo earned the Portuguese a 2-1 win over the Black Stars. But captain Andre Ayew, who was among the Ghana squad in the match, said a lot has changed since then.
“It is not the same game, or the same moment, it is completely different. Every game has its realities and we will try to give them a tough time,” he said.
With seven goals in 17 World Cup matches, the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup is expected to be the last for 37-year-old Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was handed a two-match ban and £50,000 fine from the Football Association for smashing a fan’s phone back in April 2022, a day after his contract with Manchester United was terminated following his interview with Piers Morgan.
But Ghana’s captain Andre Ayew does not think that the distraction in Portugal’s team will have any effect on the match scheduled to take place at Stadium 974 on November 24, 2022, by 4 PM Nigerian time, and is committed to being focused amidst the distraction.
“It is not our problem what is happening within the Portuguese team. They are all great professionals playing at top teams, and they will be ready for the World Cup, whatever else is happening,” the 32-year-old told reporters on Wednesday.
For Group G, Vicent Aboubakar will captain the Indomitable Lions to their eighth world cup appearance against Switzerland on November 24, 2022, by 10 AM Nigerian, 12 years after he made the Cameroon world cup 23-man squad in 2010 at the age of 18.
Often described as Cameroon’s goalscoring powerhouse, Vigorous, agile, and with intimidating strength, Aboubakar is ruthless in front of the goal, especially when he is representing his country. With 90 international appearances, the Al Nassr player has scored 33 goals for his country, making him the third top scorer in the nation’s history, only behind Roger Milla (43) and Samuel Eto’o (56). In the 2021 African Cup of Nations, Aboubakar scored eight goals in seven appearances, which earned him the highest goal scorer in the competition.
Though ranked 28 behind Switzerland in the FIFA ranking, Cameroon’s head coach Rigobert Song said during a pre-match briefing on Wednesdays that “Switzerland will see our fire tomorrow.”
“We don’t mind the rankings, they’re just on paper. Who knew Saudi Arabia would beat Argentina? We’re fully fit and focused. Our pedigree will be known tomorrow,” he said.
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