By Angu Lesley
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
German football great and global legend Lothar Herbert Matthäus has revealed African sides could have a good run in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament planned for November-December this year.
Matthäus, who won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and played in three finals of the competition made the revelation on Wednesday in Doha-Qatar during an interactive session with the media.
The Ex Mannschaft skipper who is an ambassador of the tournament started by rating the African playoffs, “The playoffs in Africa this day is very difficult. All five final playoffs games caught my attention.
“All of the games were like finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. If the losers qualified it wouldn’t have been a surprise for me,” the German record man who is also one of the ambassadors of the 2022 event revealed.
African champions Senegal eliminated record AFCON winners Egypt to reach their third final world cup finals in Qatar. They were joined by Tunisia who edged star-studded Mali, Morocco alongside previous quarter-finalists Cameroon and Ghana.
“African football is getting better. The downside in the past was the mentality to play the World cup for individual glory,” Matthäus explained.
“Things are however different now as African players have understood playing together as a team makes it better. This year is a big chance for Africa or a team of Africa to do well.”
Africa’s best shot at the global football frenzy so far is the quarter-final achieved by the Indomitable Lions in 1990, the Teranga Lions in 2002 and the Black Stars of Ghana in 2010.
Matthäus’ comments only highlight the increase in the quality of football on the continent in recent years.
African champions Senegal will confront the hosts Qatar in Group A. The Teranga Lions of Senegal, who won the recent TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations have 2010 runners-up Netherlands and Ecuador as the other rivals in the group.
The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia are in Group D. They will be up against holders France, Denmark and Australia who recently booked their tickets via the playoffs in Doha.
The Atlas Lions of Morocco have Belgium, the second highest-ranked team in the world, returning Canada and 2018 runners-up Croatia in Group F.
Cameroon are in Group G to face winners on five occasions Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland while Morocco will face Belgium, Canada and Croatia in Group F.
Ghana will meet Uruguay who ended their dream run at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa under controversial circumstances, Portugal and South Korea in Group H.
Looking at the quality of the African teams, and their respective opponents, there is a good chance they put up a fight and scale new heights in tandem with Matthäus’ view.
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