Victoria United FC of Limbe have been crowned winners of the 2023/24 MTN Elite One championship following their eventful 2-2 draw in the last day of the title playoffs this Thursday at the Mbappe Leppe stadium in Douala.
The Southwest outfit in their first season back in the top-flight finished the eight-club playoffs championship with 13 points, three points better than outgoing champions Cotonsport of Garoua and two points ahead of runners-up YOSA after an eventful three weeks of football across the city of Douala, Cameroon.
Perhaps it had to be this way. Stodgy in attack, there was a predictability to Victoria United FC leaving it late on a tense afternoon at the Mbappe Leppe Stadium. They were banging on the door as the end of full-time approached and Stade Renard, who were also after their first MTN Elite One crown, must have thought that they had done enough to earn the accolades when they held into a 2-1 lead going into the last 15 minutes.
Disciplined and dangerous, Victoria had made their fans proud at the end of it all, scoring a late penalty via ‘show boy’ Nathan Doualla to ensure the ribbons were white and black for the first time.
Victoria United enjoyed the fairytale beginning when former Bafmeng United FA defender
Ebua Dieudonne fired the Limbe side ahead after 20 minutes.
The galloping defender benefited from a deflected past from Nathan Doualla to beat Haschou Kerrido in the near post to make it 1-0.
Stade Renard turn things around between the end of the first segment and the start of the second segment with a quick fire brace from Victor Ngobara Ndongmoui.
The ANAFOOT graduate leveled scored just before the interval, then made it 2-1 at the hour mark during a phase which Stade Renard could have killed the game.
Coach David Pagou’s team squandered a string of opportunities to put the game to bed and were made to pay.
Nathan, the sensational Victoria United player who was at the last AFCON won a penalty after seeing his volley handled by captain Serge Wotsing of Stade Renard. There were ten minutes left and Nathan equalized.
The controversial 17-year-old nervelessly sent Kerrido the wrong way and although Victoria had laboured for long spells, they had managed to defend well and made Stade Renard regret fluffing their lines in front of goal when they had their moments.
This, the first top-flight trophy of the club’s existence meant a lot. The players and fans looked satisfied with life after the full-time whistle.
A satisfied Nkwain Valentine was also down on the pitch, no doubt reflecting on the accomplishment of his time at the helm of the club largely blighted by controversies joined the celebrations.
At least on the Thursday afternoon the players provided an occasion to savour, even the controversies around the title success with their overblown mid-season boycott drama was forgotten for a moment.
This was the first trophy of the new Victoria United FC era. It did not come easily. Stade Renard , Cotonsport, Dynamo, Gazelle FA who caused edgy moments all failed to conquer.
Victoria United FC are thus the new champions of Cameroon, ending Cotonsport’s run of three consecutive wins.
The Limbe boys will represent Cameroon in the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League in July this year.
Copyright©2024 kick442.com-Cameroon
All rights reserved. This material and any other digital content on this platform may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, written, or distributed in full or in part, without written permission from our management.
This site is not responsible for the content displayed by external sites
French 
English