It was a highly charged match between the second against the third of the National Elite One Championship, counting for the 25th day of play.

Over 7,000 fans rallied behind the home team at the Yong Sport Academy centre Football field hoping their massive presence will propel their side to victory and into the top of the table, as another crunch game in Douala pitted the first against fourth.

But this was not to be so as Soccoia Lionel, the new man in-charge of Cotonsport came with a well oiled game plan. The strategy here was to overload the midfield to counter Yosa’s centre of gravity. He started the game with five at the centre and hoping to use the ingenuity of captain Kingue Mpondo to spring a break that could catch Yosa off guard.

This amost worked perfectly as Ronald Ngah Wanja almost got the curtain raiser at the 7th minute with his lame effort just out of the box that angonisingly when past the goal post. Yosa responded instantly with Ngombe Ntombe hitting an overhead kick that whistled pass the crossbar.

Cotonsport came close again at the 16th minutes when George Landry Belamo drove a powerful shot 20 metres out but his effort went inches above the bar. Yosa took the ascendency from here applying pressure on the visitors.

Tamo Tinwo was the bright light, coming close on the 17th and 19th minutes with two clear chances. First he drew a save from George Mataze Bokwe with a well taken effort at the top of the goal and later a long drive from outside the box that flew inches above the cross bar.

Cotonsport had a goal disallowed for handball when Louis Christian deflected a free kick into the back of the net. The home team continued to press but was left vulnerable at the back.

It took a well timed intervention from Adu Wum at the 37th minute with the slightest of touch to take the ball away from an onrushing Harouna Mohamat from an inviting cross from the right that needed the faintest touch to put it into the net.

Two minutes later it was Kingue Mpondo who pounced on a poor clearance with an effort that was just off target. The first half ended goalless.

After the pause, Yosa continued to mount pressure but with no real threat except at the 54th minute when Kongnyuy Jude unleashed a thunderbolt from a free kick 36 metres out which the goalkeeper spilled resulting to a goal mouth tussle that was eventually cleared and at the 61st minute when Kongnyuy Jude sent Awono Junior through but George Motaze was quick off his feet to block his effort for a corner.

At the left back for Cotonsport, Fabrice Pierre Ambassa was having a torrid time with Gilbert Kilah who continued to tease him with his dazzling dribbles but all his efforts into the box were expertly dealt with by a backline for Cotonsport that was reinforced with more midfielders as they sense a draw game in the air.

As news of the match in Douala between Union and USM trickled into the Yosa centre, the host multiplied it incursions into the visitors half. Despite all the pressure, the closest Yosa came to a goal was from a free kick by Tamo Tinwo at the 88th minutes when his free kick beat the keeper but hit the upright leaving almost all in the stadium moaning.

When Nlepna Paul blasted his whistle for the end of the game, the score board read zero all, maintaining the status-quo at the top of the log.

Reactions

Ndombe Bosso (coach Yosa)

I am not satisfied because I wanted to win the match. My team created so many opportunities but did not score.

Sometimes you try to score but you can’t, we came up against a good team, we hit the bar and so on, but we are contented with a point and now look forward to our next game on Wednesday in Douala against fourth placed Union. Me,We are not going to lose in Douala, we will try our best to win because we want to win something at the end of the championship.

Soccoia Lionel ( Coach Coton Sport)

I did not come here to play a draw. It was a difficult game, we had a goal disallowed and the state of the pitch was not the best. Our next game is in Bafang and we will confront it thesame. Talking about our last game, you need to find out how we lost and why we conceded four goals , there was a case of very poor officiating.

Teams

Yong Sport Academy

30-Mbem Leopold, 06-Nchoing Oliver, 27-Adu Wum, 21-Douada Alim, 03-Ngong lionel, 13- Ebongue Ebongue, 04-Awono Junior, 14-Ngome Ntombe (16-Ita Donarasario-80’), 24-Gilbert Kilah, 25-Tamo Tinwo, 10-Kongnyuy Jude (C)( 19-Emmanuel Che-78’)

Substitutes

01-Nyokon Tonye, 15-Roland Thiery, 22-Mengapche Ngansop, 23-Benjamin Ako, 26-Yannick Ewune, 16-Ita Donarasario, 19-Emmanuel Che

Coach –Ndoumbe Bosso

Coton Sport FC

01-George Motaze Bokwe, 04-Yazid Atouba Emane (11-Tambe Elvis Ashu-85’), 05-Louis Christian, 06-George Landry Belamo (07-Moussa Souleymanou-70), 13-Fabrice Pierre Ambassa, 15- Dzekem Bongyang Fernando, 16-Kanamoko Camara, 17-Stepane Kingue Mpondo (C) (03-Paul Serge Atangana-67’), 21-Aaron Mbeme II, 18-Ronald Ngah Wanja, 26-Harouana Mohamat

Substitutes

03-Paul Serge Atangana, 07-Moussa Souleymanou, 09-Douada Kamilou, 11-Tambe Elvis Ashu, 23-Romaric Petroipa, 25-Eric Dode Ntienche, 30-Douada Balisi Ibrahim

Coach : Soccoia Lionel