The "Indomitable Lions Cubs" are roaring in the Olympics soccer tournament again, but this time the Brazilians aim to harness them in the quarterfinals, a revenge for their loss to the Africans eight years ago.
Cameroon gained their quarterfinal spot by finishing second in Group D. They defeated Honduras and drew with South Korea and Italy.
It is only their third Olympic appearance after first competing at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and then creating history by winning gold at the 2000 Games in Sydney.
The Indomitable Lion Cubs' victory, after a tense sudden-death penalty shoot-out with Spain, was Cameroon's first gold medal in any sport at an Olympic Games.
In Brazil's last Olympic appearance at the 2000 Games in Sydney, a team containing a young Ronaldinho was knocked out in extra time at the quarterfinal stage by eventual champions Cameroon.
Despite being the most successful team in FIFA World Cup history, Brazil have yet to win an Olympic gold medal, something that doesn't sit too well with a football-obsessed nation.
Silver medals at both the 1984 and 1988 Games, losing out to France and the Soviet Union respectively, are as close as they have come so far. This time coach Dunga's side is determined to bring the title home from Beijing.
Brazil qualified for the quarterfinals by winning Group C. They have scored the most goals of any team in the group stage netting nine times. They and Italy are the only teams not to concede a goal in the tournament.
Brazil have had seven different goal scorers in the tournament with Ronaldinho and Thiago Neves their only players to have scored twice.
Cameroon will be without the suspended playmaker Georges Mandjeck who received a red card in the final group game and also defender Paul Bebey who was shown his second yellow card of the tournament in the same match.
The winner of the match will play either Argentina or the Netherlands in the semifinals at the Workers' Stadium on Tuesday, August 19.
Apart from their Olympic gold medal, Cameroon's underage teams are not serial trophy winners and haven't made even the semifinals of an African U20/21 Championship since 1999, but regular promotions from the junior squad into the senior line-up display that there's always plenty of talent around to make the clubs competitive.
(Xinhua News Agency August 15,2008)