Lionesses in Dakar for 2014 African Championship Qualifiers

The Cameroon Indomitable Lionesses have been in Dakar since Wednesday for the first leg of their qualification game against Senegal.

After two years of hibernation, the Lionesses are back to business. They compete tomorrow, their first official match for two years. Coached by Carl Enow Ngachu, the team went to Dakar (Senegal) on Wednesday for the meeting, to begin their quest for a second and final round of qualifiers for the 2014 edition of the

African Women Championship. The final phase is planned from 11 to 22 October in Namibia and Lionesses want to be there. Senegal, ranked 89th in the FIFA World rankings last March, is hosting Cameroon, Africa Games gold medalist in 2011 and 49th in the world. The fight promises to be beautiful one between these two teams.

In Mbour, a town 80 km from Dakar, the group led by Enow Ngachu will certainly face the unknown but in place before the final meeting - scheduled return on June 8 in Yaoundé. 13 local players and five professionals were selected for this encounter.

Over the past five years, the Lionesses of Cameroon (49th world after the Fifa rankings in March) and those of Senegal (World 89) have not meet. Lionesses were treated to a series of three groups with two international friendlies with defeats in the hands of Ethiopia and Nigeria, played more friendlies against local teams.

Senegalese women, meanwhile, have also received two international sparring partners against Algeria. Enow Ngachu said he has set up "all strategies to cope with all situations of in the game." He goes further to highlight the experience of some players as Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene (striker), Christine Manie (defender), highly cap professional Annette Ngo Ndiom(goalkeeper).

"We will win the game. In case of victory in Senegal, the return leg will be easy”, he told Cameroon Tribune before leaving for Senegal. Despite the absence of some incumbents, Lionesses want to stay focused on winning and especially the strategy to implement to get there. This is an opportunity for new to "sell" to hope for a starting spot. Senegalese women, for their part, have strengthened their ranks with the presence of Many Maimouna Ndiaye Diop Yaly.