They were written off even before a ball was even kicked but here they are in the knockout stages of the competition as they continue look to continue their adventure when they take on the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday in Douala.

The jury was already out when the Intermediate Lions failed to win a single game during the pre-CHAN tournament but the team has gradually weathered the storm, winning one game and drawing two others to progress to the next round.

However, that has still not been enough to silence the critics who are calling on the team to turn out the style and win while playing good football.

Even former Indomitable Lions striker, Roger Milla was caught on camera at the end of the 1-1 draw against Mali, urging the team to be brave, aggressive and give in more in order to win matches in style.

However, whatever is said of the team, the end product is to win matches and head coach Martin Ndtoungou Mpile has used his experience so far to deliver the goods. His team has adopted a direct style of play, bypassing the midfield, which is their achille’s heel, straight to the attack, although without much success.

For their three outings at the group stages, the Lions, attempted 52 shots on goal with just nine of them on target and scoring just two goals, an average possession of 56 percent with over 1002 passes put together.

The midfield of the team remains a work in progress as the coach has chopped and changed in all their three matches in a bid to find that perfect link and supply to the strikers which is lacking at the moment. The few days left before match might certainly provide some training ground work to in order to get the perfect team for Saturday.