Aurélien Chedjou: “It is our fighting spirit that made us strong”
Former Indomitable Lions defender, Aurélien Chedjou says the team’s fighting spirit has helped them cross the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 group stage line as the team qualified on the very last round of fixture to set up a mouth-watering tie with Nigeria.
After a nervy start to the competition that saw them draw 1-1 against Guinea to then lose 3-1 to reigning champions Senegal, the Indomitable Lions had to show grit when facing Gambia as they came from behind to snatch a dramatic 3-2 victory to secure a place in the knockout stage of the competition.
Speaking to CAFOnline post the emphatic victory, the former defender hailed the team’s fighting spirit that saw them through.
“It was our fighting spiring and strength of the team that saw us through. More importantly, it was above the pride of Cameroon that took over when we said to ourselves that we cannot go back home like this”, declared the former Lille defender.
Chedjou also added that Cameroon should impose themselves and not allow their opponents to play.
“They should play their game and impose it on the opponent. I prefer that they be instigators than wait to be led to react. We will have to enter the match by imposing what we want on the opponent before waiting to be pushed or led to react,” suggests the man with 49 caps with the Indomitable Lions between 2009 and 2016.
Chedjou played in two TotalEnergies CAF AFCON competitions in 2010 and 2015 and says representing your nation in such a tournament is a huge honour.
“It’s the highest competition in Africa, make no mistake. Already representing your country is a privilege, but representing your country at the AFCON is something truly amazing for an African player. I wish every African footballer, whether he is in the country or in Europe, that he has the chance to play this competition because it is the biggest in Africa” he said.
Reflecting on the missed edition in Gabon where they lifted the title, the former defender says it is one of the things he regrets in his career.
“It’s one of the regrets I have. It remains a thorny issue in my career. I had played almost all the qualifying matches, unfortunately, in the end, I was not selected. But those who were there made us happy, I'm happy for them”, he concluded.