CAFOnlinecom: Against Ethiopia, Cameroon certainly played one of their best matches for several months. What speech did you give to boost your players after a timid performance on the first day against Burkina Faso?
Antonio Conceiçao: Each opponent has their own characteristics, each match has its story. Since the start of the competition, we have had two different opponents. Burkina Faso is a team that plays the ball with offensive and defensive actions while Ethiopia, as we had already predicted, played with a much more defensive block and counters.
I told my players that we have to remain rigorous, disciplined on the pitch, focused, follow our game plan. We have great responsibilities and we must assume them.
All Cameroonians seem to be waiting for the evening of February 6 for a possible Cameroonian coronation in this TotalEnergies AFCON 2021. Is it a pressure or an advantage for you to play at home?
As coach of the Indomitable Lions, I have always assumed my responsibilities. Playing TotalEnergies AFCON at home is positive pressure for us. We want to go all the way. For that, we will have to work a lot and play game by game, step by step. All the Cameroonian people are waiting for a victory of the Indomitable Lions who remain the flag of the country. The history of Cameroon pushes us to go higher and further, and to seek to win and bring back a sixth star. We have a long way ahead of us to get to the final, with certainly some difficulties. It’s up to us to have fun, keep our momentum, play our football, especially since all the matches are difficult.
Next opponent of Cameroon, Cape Verde, on Monday at the Paul Biya stadium in Olembe. Cape Verdeans have always posed problems for the Indomitable Lions in the past. What will be your strategy to complete your three victories in a row?
We know that the Cape Verde team will cause us problems in the game. They are a team that we know quite well, having met them in qualifying. We know their strengths and weaknesses. For the moment, what interests us the most is the recovery of the players in order to play a good match and achieve a good result in this group stage.