Feutchine and Njock Score in Weekend Action

Both Guy Feutchine in Greece and Jeremie Njock in Belgium scored on headed goals over the weekend. William Andem and Rudolph Douala led their teams to victories which moved their clubs to joint second place in Portugal. Meanwhile Eric Matoukou injured a muscle in his thigh and will miss Cameroon’s upcoming match versus Sudan.

Greece

Guy Feutchine started in midfield for PAOK Salonika as they played goalkeeper Pierre Ebede and Chalkidona in Greek league action. In the 15th minute Feutchine scored the game’s opening goal by heading in a cross from the right wing. Feutchine left the match, won by PAOK 2-1, in the 75th minute but his recent play was rewarded when he was called in by Artur Jorge to replace the injured Eric Djemba Djemba in midfield for the Indomitable Lions upcoming match versus Sudan.

Nana Falemi started at defensive midfield for Ergotelis as they were beaten 3-0 by AEK Athens. Falemi was subbed out after 56 minutes. Joel Epalle started at attacking midfield for Iraklis as his club were defeated 3-2 by Apollon. Epalle set up one of his club’s goals in the match. Jean Denis Ouanga entered as a sub in midfield in the 56th minute as Kallithea was beaten 2-0 by Panathinakos. In Aris Salonika’s 2-1 loss to Ionikos, Samuel Inogue entered as a sub for Aris at left midfield in the 46th minute and Dorge Kouemaha came on at forward in the 55th minute. Midweek in the Greek Cup, Aris advanced to the semifinals as they drew 1-1 with Apollon but won on aggregate score over two legs. Inogue entered the Greek Cup match as a second half sub in midfield.

Portugal

Rudolphe Douala played a strong match at forward as Sporting Lisbon beat defending champions Porto 2-0 in Portuguese league action. Douala’s speed and mobility caused problems for Porto’s defense before he was subbed out in the 81st minute of the match. Goalkeeper William Andem has not only returned to Boavista’s starting lineup but has also regained the club’s captaincy. Andem played a solid match in goal as Boavista drew 1-1 with Penafiel. Albert Meyong started in an unaccustomed position to him as a left sided forward and had a quiet match before he was substituted at the start of the second half as his club Vitoria Setubal were defeated 2-0 by league leaders Benfica. Yohanna Buba played well as a second half sub at centerback for Estoril in their 2-0 win over Moreirense. As a result of this weekend’s league play Benfica top the table 6 points ahead of Sporting Lisbon, Boavista, Porto and Sporting Braga with 8 matches left to play.

Belgium

Racing Genk’s 2-1 victory over Mons had Cameroonians on both sides of the ball. Eric Matoukou at centerback and Justice Wamfor at defensive midfield for Genk and Jeremie Njock at forward for Mons. Sadly Eric Matoukou had to leave the match in the 22nd minute due to a thigh muscle injury he picked up. As a result of this injury Matoukou will be out approximately 10 days and thus will miss the Indomitable Lions game against Sudan. In the 61st minute, Njock headed in a right wing cross for Mons’ only goal of the match as Genk eventually won 2-1. Matthieu Assou Ekotto again played a solid match in midfield as Standard Liege beat Westerlo 3-1. Patrice Noukeu played in midfield for Mouscron as they were beaten 1-0 by Ostende. Samuel Ipoua came on as a substitute at forward for St. Trond at the start of the 2nd half as his club lost 1-0 to Cercle Bruges.

Spain

Samuel Eto’o and Barcelona moved another step closer to the Spanish league title with a 1-0 win on the road at Deportivo La Coruña. Barcelona maintained their 11 point lead atop the standings with 9 matches to play. This weekend Eto’o had several hard shots well saved by Deportivo’s goalkeeper Gustavo Munua. Daniel Ngom Kome started at left sided forward for Getafe as they saw their recent winning streak end in a 3-1 loss to Valencia. Ngom Kome had a pretty active match before he was subbed off after 77 minutes. Carlos Kameni started in goal as Espanyol drew 2-2 with Real Sociedad. It was not Kameni’s finest game as he was indecisive several times in coming off his line. With the loss, Espanyol dropepd out of one of the top four places in the Spanish league. Osasuna’s league game was postponed to a later date so their opponents Villarreal could take place in UEFA Cup play.

France

Jean Makoun returned to Lille’s lineup after being absent since February 5 due to a knee injury. In his absence Lille did not win a league match and dropped from 2nd to 4th in the league standings. Makoun immediately made his presence known and played a strong match in midfield for Lille but it was not enough to help his club as they played a scoreless draw with St. Etienne. Benoit Angbwa, at right back, also played a solid match for Lille. Alexandre Song also played well as he defended strongly from his centerback position in Bastia’s 1-0 win over Metz. If there is one complaint about Song’s play in this match, it would be that offensively he relied too much on hitting long balls out of the back. Herve Tum started at forward for Metz and while he did not contribute much offensively, his defensive work was noteworthy. But when you discuss one of your forward’s defensive work that helps explain why Metz went scoreless in this game.

Benoit Assou Ekotto may not yet be certain if he wants to accept a callup from Cameroon but he played a decisive role for Lens at left back over the weekend in his club’s 2-0 victory over Bordeaux. Jean Joel Perrier Doumbe had a regular game as the right back for Rennes in their 2-2 tie with Caen. Salomon Olembe started in midfield for Marseille in their big matchup with Monaco over the weekend (won 2-1 by Monaco) but Olembe struggled in the game and was subbed out at the start of the 2nd half. Achille Emana surprisingly did not start for Toulouse but came on as a midfield substitute in the 72nd minute of his club’s scoreless draw with Sochaux.

In Ligue 2, Sedan were beaten 2-1 by Grenoble. Surprisingly neither of Grenoble’s Cameroonian players participated in the match. Pierre Njanka, however, did start at centerback for Sedan. Marcus Mokake came on as a sub at forward for Sedan in the 58th minute and scored an injury time consolation goal for his club (Mokake’s 2nd goal of the Ligue 2 season). Alexis Ngambi started at centerback for Gueugnon as they drew 1-1 with Montpellier. Julien N’Da played at left back for Niort as his club were beaten 3-1 by Guingamp. Midfielder Eugene Ekobo was captain of Creteil as they tied 1-1 with Angers.

England

Lauren had an untroubled game at right back as Arsenal defeated Blackburn 1-0 in England’s Premier League. Jospeh Desire Job had trouble finishing from his forward position and his club Middlesbrough lost 3-1 to Southampton. Timothee Atouba played at left back for Tottenham and made headlines as he was caught on videotape throwing an elbow and knocking down an opponent on the play whereby his club scored the winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Manchester City. Atouba may face sanctions from the league.

Italy

Pierre Wome started at left back for Brescia in their 3-1 loss to Chievo.

Turkey

Souleymanou Hamidou played a strong match in goal as his club Denizlispor beat league leaders Fenerbahce 2-0. Rigobert Song sat out Galatasaray’s 4-2 win over the weekend but it is worth noting without Song in the lineup, Galatasaray’s normally tight defense gave up two goals. Nevertheless, their win allowed them to close to within two points of Fenerbahce atop the league table. Alioum Saidou played in midfield for Malatyaspor but his club were defeated 1-0 by Rizespor. Forward Jean Emmanuel Effa Owona, in the 55th minute, and midfielder Herve Zengue, in the 80th, entered as subs for Ankaragucu in their 2-0 loss to Gaziantepspor.

Switzerland

Armand Deumi prepared for his first callup to Cameroon’s national team by playing over the weekend in the Swiss league. Deumi started at centerback and played a very strong game as FC Thun beat Schaffhausen 1-0. Central defender Jean Pierre Tcheutchoua returned to FC Aarau’s lineup this week after a long term injury and countryman

Augustine Simo started in midfield as Aarau was defeated 3-2 by Grasshoppers Zurich. In midweek action, Deumi again played well as Thun drew 1-1 with Grasshoppers. Tcheutchoua and Simo also played well as Aarau drew 0-0 with St. Gallen.

Russia

Jerry Christian Tchuisse played at right back for FK Moscow as they drew 0-0 with Lokomotiv Moscow (note last week we inadvertenly listed FK Moscow as losing 2-0 to Spartak Moscow. In fact Tchuisse’s club defeated Spartak 2-0). Midfielder Serge Branco started for Shinnik Yaroslavl as they drew 2-2 with Rostov.

Elsewhere in Europe, in Ukraine Patrick Ebanda started at defensive midfield as Arsenal Kyiv tied 0-0 with cross town rivals Dynamo Kyiv. Patrice Kwedi started at midfield and played 60 minutes in Denmark as his club AGF Aarhus beat FC Nordsjaelland 2-1. None of Cameroon’s players in Germany’s Bundesliga played this week but in Bundelsiga 2, Francis Kioyo started at forward in Rot Weiss Essen’s scoreless draw with FC Koln. Daniel Wansi entered as a sub at forward for Dynamo Dresden in the 71st minute of his club’s 3-1 win over Oberhausen.

In Uruguay, Antoine Helha received his international clearance to play and started in Plaza Colonia’s 4-1 loss to Nacional but was sent off. Midfielder Alain Olle Olle also started for Plaza Colonia.

After much searching we have finally located striker Thierry Fidjeu. He is currently playing on the island of Gozo which is part of the island natiopn of Malta but has it’s own separate football league. Fidjeu plays with a club called Xewkija Tigers and is the league’s top scorer. Countryman Jules Ngangue is a midfielder on Fidjeu’s club which competes in the Gozitan First Division.

By Martin COUTLER

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