The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions), is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side; Cameroon has qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times - in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010- more than any other African nation. They were the first African team to reach the quarterfinal of the World Cup, in 1990, losing to England in extra time. They have also won four Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Cameroon played its first match against Somalia in 1960, winning 9–2. They first qualified for theAfrica Cup of Nations in 1970, but were knocked out in the first round. Two years later, as host nation, the Indomitable Lions finished third in the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations. They would not qualify for the competition for another ten years.
Cameroon qualified for its first FIFA World Cup in 1982. With the increase of 16 to 24 teams Cameroon qualified along with Algeria to represent Africa in Spain. Cameroon was drawn into group 1 with Italy, Poland, and Peru. In their first game Cameroon faced Italy and held on to a surprising 1-1 draw. Cameroon held Peru and Poland to 0-0 draws but failed to qualify for the second round.
Two years later Cameroon qualified for the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Côte d'Ivoire. They finished second in their first-round group before beating Algeria on penalties in the semi-final. In the final, Cameroon beat Nigeria 3–1with goals from René N'Djeya, Théophile Abéga and Ernest Ebongué to be crowned champions of Africa for the first time.
Cameroon qualified for the 1990 World Cup by surpassing Nigeria and beating Tunisia in the final round playoff. In the final tournament Cameroon were drawn into group B with Argentina, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Cameroon shocked the world by defeating holders Argentina 1-0 with a goal scored by Omam Biyick (header). Cameroon later defeated Romania 2-1 and lost to the Soviet Union 4-0, becoming the first side to top a World Cup Finals group with a negative goal difference. In the second round Cameroon defeated Colombia 2-1 with Roger Milla scoring two goals in the extra time. In the quarter finals Cameroon faced England. At 25 minutes England's David Platt scored for England. In the second half however Cameroon came back with a 61st minute penalty from Kunde and took the lead with Ekeke at 65 minutes. England however equalized in the 83rd minute with a penalty from Lineker. Lineker made in 3-2 for England with a penalty in the 105th minute. Cameroon had nearly created one of the greatest upsets in the World Cup.
The 1994 World Cup in the USA saw the adjustment of representation for three African teams qualify. Cameroon qualified with Nigeria and Morocco. In the final tournament Cameroon were drawn into group B with Sweden, Brazil, and Russia. After convincing 2-2 draw with Sweden, Cameroon were determined to make an impact. However a 3-0 loss to Brazil and a 6-1 loss to Russia effectively ended their hopes of glory.
The 1998 World Cup in France saw the increase of 24 to 32 teams. Cameroon qualified alongside five African countries. After qualifying as expected, Cameroon were drawn into group B with Italy, Chile, and Austria. Despite drawing with Chile and Austria, a 3-0 defeat to Italy saw Cameroon finish bottom of the group, and they were eliminated as a result. Cameroon notably had three players sent off in the course of the tournament, more than any other team, despite only playing three games out of a possible seven. They also had the highest card count per game of any team, collecting an average of four bookings in each match they played.
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