The Super Eagles ended round one of the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup as group B leaders after beating Zambia 2-1 and Algeria were held
1-1 at home on Sunday.
The Desert Foxes, unbeaten in seven matches
and in one calendar year, entered this fixture with so much confidence
and expectation, and it seemed to be going as planned when Hilal Soudani
gave them the lead just after seven minutes.
The fans at the
stadium in Blida leapt for joy, as Cameroon looked like they would be in
for a roasting and that their poor run against the Algerians would
continue.
And so it looked, with the North Africans domination
play early on, Riyad Mahrez, Soudani and Islam Slimani all posing
threats to the Cameroonian goal.
It wasn’t the Algerians who posed
threats though, as the Indomitable Lions also showed glimpses of what
they used to be known for with some robust display, which paid off in
the 24th minute, Benjamin Moukandjo leveling the score for the Lions, silencing the home crowd.
With
the game restarting at 1-1, it was another opportunity for both sides
to try to reassert themselves and begin the series with a victory.
Tried
as both sides did, it wasn’t to be as the game ended in a stalemate,
meaning Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Zambia in Ndola earlier in the day see
them leading the pack with maximum points, ahead of second round of
matches next month, which will see them host Algeria in Port Harcourt.
