Spanish guile meets Cameroon force for gold

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Sydney: The only certainty about Saturday's Olympic soccer final between Spain and Cameroon is that it will pit European pragmatism against African power and exuberance.

Cameroon are bidding for their first Olympic gold in any sport having reached the final with last-gasp 2-1 knockout victories over Brazil and Chile.

They want to emulate Nigeria who became the first African side to take a major global competition by winning gold in Atlanta in 1996.

They also want to complete a great double by adding the Olympic title to their victory in the African Nations Cup earlier this year.

They are a hard-running, powerful side who never give up and are capable of playing some outstanding soccer -- although sometimes with a little too much force than is necessary.

Spain, attempting to win gold for the second time in eight years, have played far more cautious and disciplined soccer knocking out Italy (1-0) and the United States (3-1).

After two weeks of travelling around the outposts of the Games in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide, the sides come face to face in front of an expected 110,000 crowd under the Olympic torch in Stadium Australia.

Both teams have the ideal mixture of youth and experience and the confidence that reaching the final brings. But for one player the Olympic final will represent the fulfillment of a once-impossible dream.

Cameroon's goalkeeper will be 16-year-old Carlos Idriss Kameni, third choice keeper at French second division side Le Havre, who started this tournament as reserve to Daniel Bekono, six years his senior and keeper at one of Cameroon's top sides, Canon Yaounde.

But coach Jean-Paul Akono called up Kameni in place of Bekono forthe quarter-final match and the teenager was outstanding as Cameroon, reduced to nine men after two sendings-off, stunned Brazil 2-1 with a golden goal winner.

He had another brilliant game with a series of breath-taking saves when Cameroon scored two late goals to beat Chile 2-1 in the semi-final in Melbourne -- and now is just 90 minutes away from a gold medal.



(c) Reuters Limited.