Nigeria 3-2 Cameroon: 5 Talking Points | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations

#3 Both teams came all out and provided excitement

The clash between these two heavyweights lived up to its hype

Both teams' pedigree on the continental and international stage meant that this was the most anticipated clash of the round-of-16.

Most times, such highly publicized fixtures rarely live up to expectation, as both teams usually play it safe to avoid elimination and this is especially holds true on the African continent where physicality is favored over aesthetics.

However, this fixture went totally against the norm, as both sides came all out for the victory, with the result being that we were treated to what can be considered the best match of the tournament so far.

In what was an explosive start, Nigeria went ahead in th 19th minute, but went into the break with a deficit as two quick fire goals from Bakohen and N'jie saw Cameroon take the advantage.

In the second half, it was Nigeria's turn to take the lead in an instant, as two goals in three minutes saw the West African nation go in front and this was a lead they maintained for the remainder of the game.

Elsewhere, other statistics also underlined just how open a contest this was, with Cameroon fashioning a total of nine shots of which three were on target, while Nigeria made 12 attempts at the Cameroonian goal and had six on target.

Nigeria had six corners to Cameroon's seven and for the entirety of the match, the end-to-end action meant that it was anybody's game to win.

While the the 2019 Nations Cup has had more than its fair share of dour and uninspiring matches, Nigeria and Cameroon served us a classic which would go down in history as one of the most exciting Nations Cup clashes.