Nehru Cup Final - 5 players in spotlight

Group stages are over, no question of quarter final and semi final. Now it’s time for the most anticipated moment, the moment football lovers from all over India are waiting for. Nehru Cup 2012, the biggest event in the Indian football reaches its final. It’s only two weeks since Nehru Cup 2012 started, and the fans are now just less than 24 hours away from the big final between host India and mighty Cameroon.

5 teams started their campaign in search for the glory. Now only two remain. India, the second largest populated country in the world, though ranked 168^th in the latest FIFA ranking, will take on comparably much smaller but quite high ranked Cameroon. Yesterday both the teams faced each other in the last scheduled group match, with Cameroon beating India by 1-0, but tomorrow’s clash is going to be interesting one as India will defend their title and will try to make an hat-trick.

Both the teams have a fine balance and creativity in their line-up. Though Cameroon is a better team in terms of FIFA Ranking, but Wim Koevermans and his Sunil brigade will try their best to go past them because it is the only chance in front of them to prove that they certainly do not deserve the 168^th FIFA Ranking.

The countdown has started already for this big final. So before the kick-off let’s take a close look on some of the players from both sides, who can make difference on their day.

INDIA:

Sunil Chhetri – Captain with golden feet! No doubt that he is the front man of India’s attack and a big match player. He has already scored three goals in the first two matches for India in this Nehru Cup. Though he has given his 100% in the group matches but he has surely saved some of his penetrating power and class for this mega final to torment the Cameroon defence. Having gained important experience while practiced with Sporting Lisbon and being a part of the Indian national team for quite a few years, he will certainly try his best to make this final a memorable one.

Syed Rahim Nabi – India have conceded only two goals in this tournament so far. One in the opening match against Syria and the second against Cameroon. Rahim Nabi is considered as one of the best defender in India. Though he is right footed but in Koevermans’ army he is operating the left side quite flawlessly. He has maintained his position with Raju Gaikwad, Gouramangi Singh very well. Known for his pace, dribbling, heading and precise tackling abilities, he is also capable of covering a lot of distance to help in the attack. His superb headed goal against Maldives spoke volumes about his goal scoring capabilities. So in tomorrow’s final, he will have to stand tall in front of the Cameroon attack.

Subrata Pal – No one knows if the final of Nehru Cup 2012 will go down to penalty shoot out, but if it does, then India can rest easy as they have a goal keeper like Subrata in their team. The experienced team India custodian has conceded only two goals in this tournament so far. He has already made some superb saves in the group stage. It will be a pleasure to see how he saves shots from the mighty Cameroon strikers. He was also a part of the Indian team in the 2007 and 2009 Nehru Cup and both the times India won the championship. Can he win it for the Indian team for the third consecutive time? We have to wait for a few hours to find the answer.

CAMEROON:

Jean-Patrick Abouna – He is the only player in this side who has gained the national cap for Cameroon for quite many times in the past. While most of the players are very young and have got their first chance to wear the national team jersey, Abouna has already earned 5 caps with the national team at just 21-years of age. He is capable of playing as either a wing-back or a winger. Quite precise in defence, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri may get some solid challenges if he tries to penetrate the Cameroon defense.

Thierry Makon Nloga – He is certainly emerging as the future star of Cameroon football. Playing either in the position of a second striker or in the mid-field, Nloga is known for his superb vision, tireless work rate and good run into the opponent penalty box. His left footed strikes can be a nightmare for any goal-keeper and Subrata needs to be very alert about him.