Group D

TodayDR Congo vs Ethiopia 3pmAngola vs Cameroon 6pm

History is made now, from a dream to reality, the CHAN 2016 officially started on Saturday afternoon with group A matches. Today, it is a turn for Group B, a pool of football giants where everyone is fired up to shine at the three-week tournament.

The Democratic Republic of Congo will take on Ethiopia in the group’s opening game and the third match of the tournament in general while Angola and Cameroon will face-off in the second game of the group later. All group B will be hosted at Huye stadium, a newly refurbished 10.000-seat arena.

Of all the four nations pooled in the same group, it is hard to predict and only Huye residents can only expect entertaining and competitive football at the new home of league side Mukura Victory Sports.

As the 2009 champions and 2011&2014 quarter-finalists and being the only side to have featured in every CHAN edition since its inception in 2009, DR Congo must be the team to watch. 

Being Rwanda’s neighbors, it also means they will be the most supported team of the pool and excelling from their group is the least everyone would expect them.

DR Congo lost their final buildup game against hosts of Rwanda last Sunday, thanks to the lone goal from Amavubi skipper Jacques Tuyisenge. That will serve them an extra motivation to overcome Ethiopia, who are seen as the underdogs in the group.

However, the Walias of Ethiopia won’t also easily let go, they have named a strong squad of the show including renowned names such as Behailu Assefa, Alula Girma and Lanky Asrat Megersa and undermining them would result in unexpected upsets.

In another encounter, Cameroon will be up against Angola at 6pm, a clash of two great football nations with a lot of history, not in CHAN but broadly in African football. The Indomitable Lions are making the third appearance while Angola are in this tournament for the second time.

Palancas Negras of Angola reached quarter-finals at the second edition in 2011 in Sudan and failed to qualify for the 3rd meet in 2014 in South Africa, will they step up for a one or two stairs better this time round, let’s first see how it goes tonight against Cameroon.

On other side, Cameroon have a lot to prove going into the tournament after drawing both warm-up games, 1-1 against Johnny McKinstry’s Amavubi last on January 6 and 0-0 against Uganda Cranes on Thursday. 

This is history in Rwanda and history in the region, the tournament reaching out from the capital to upcountry, Huye should seize this chance, after-all it doesn’t come very often. Sunday Sport’s predicts DR Congo and Cameroon the two countries to go past group stages.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw