Bulls Abroad: Oyongo plays 90 in Cameroon's 1-1 draw with DR Congo

The Indomitable Lions have kicked off their preparations for this month's Africa Cup of Nations with a friendly against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Yaounde.

The match ended 1-1, which is a better result for the Congolese than the Cameroonians: the Lions beat the Leopards twice in qualifying, though both teams are through to the big tournament.

Cameroon still hasn't quite got around to confirming which 23 of the 24 players in the provisional squad are going to be heading to Equatorial Guinea for a tournament that kicks off on January 17. The announcement should be made shortly, though coach Volker Finke spent some in a press conference earlier this week outlining the various injury concerns hanging over several of his players.

News of an encouraging nature for New York Red Bulls' Ambroise Oyongo: Finke took particular care to defend the young player, who was rumored to be injured after an ill-advised casual kick-about with friends. The decision appears to have left no lasting injury or impact on his national team coach's opinion of the young player: Finke put Oyongo in his starting lineup for the friendly and left him out there for the full 90 minutes.

Less good news for Oyongo is the fact his presence on the pitch for the duration of the game meant he was part of the last-minute defensive collapse that allowed Yanick Bolasie (friend of Bradley Wright-Phillips, as it happens) to claim DR Congo's equalizer. Cameroon's goal was scored by FC Zurich's Franck Etoundi.

Cameroon's next pre-tournament friendly is scheduled for January 10 against South Africa.