By Damian Spellman, PA Sport

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Patrick Mboma remembers exactly where he was the day Cameroon threatened the football establishment.

The now 31-year-old African Nations Cup winner cried with joy as his Roger Milla-inspired nation came within minutes of knocking Bobby Robson's England out of the World Cup and clinching a precious semi-final berth.

Tears of disappointment greeted the final whistle as Gary Lineker smashed home two late penalties to end Cameroon's dream and send his side through to their fateful meeting with Germany in Turin, when there were to be more high profile waterworks.

But that night, the seeds of a belief that an African nation would one day win the World Cup were sown, and it is Mboma and his team-mates who will be the latest group of men to carry their country's challenge forward in Japan and South Korea.

No lesser a figure than Pele predicted in the wake of that night 12 years ago that the trophy would eventually go to Africa, and while that dream remains to be fulfilled, it is one which is as fondly held as ever.

"I hope so," said Mboma when asked if this could be the year. "I don't know if it will be Cameroon.

"There's a lot of expectation around Cameroon. People in Cameroon are talking about winning the World Cup, and there's huge expectation.

"We'll try to reach the quarter-final because people keep telling us we are the best generation ever produced in Cameroon.

"Because of that, we have to do at least as well as they did in 1990. If we can do better, I will be very happy."

The legacy of that campaign at Italia 90 has provided the impetus for a huge development in the African game, and the influx of foreign coaches, as well as the number of players now plying their trade in Europe, has helped to harden the continent's national sides for the rigors and disciplines of tournament football.

And in that respect, Mboma is convinced today's Cameroon are better placed than the team which very nearly upset the apple cart to progress in the competition.

"I remember I was watching the game with my mother and we cried when Cameroon scored the second goal because we thought it was the door open to the semi-final," he said.

"But unfortunately, (Gary) Lineker decided something else.

"What I'm thinking today is that probably at that time, Cameroon were not prepared for such a result, and I think that today, this team if we can lead 2-1 with 10 minutes to go, we can go on.

"We've had some really good times over the last two or three years. We are prepared to do the best we can.

"We are better in concentration, we're very compact, we're full of confidence and we love to be together.

"We have won titles, we've had a draw against France in France and another one against Argentina - and we were probably the better team at the time.

"I think Cameroon are about to do huge things. We have to think that we are not the worst team in the world and we go with full confidence and try to reach the quarter-final, and if we can do that, we'll try to go as far as possible."

Despite his hopes for this World Cup, Mboma is realistic about Africa's challenge for the biggest prize on offer.

"It's always difficult to win the World Cup and it's more difficult for African nations - we have only four or five places and Europe has 14 or 15," he said.

"I'm African, so I will say it's not enough. You can bring five countries, but I don't think we've got seven or eight countries who will really be competitive.

"Today in Africa, three or four teams are really strong and there's a big gap with the others."

Mboma's preparations for the World Cup were hardly ideal after he swapped Italian side Parma for what proved to be a tense battle against relegation with Sunderland.

Injuries and the desperation of Peter Reid's side rarely allowed the former African player of the year to show his best form, but he insists he has enjoyed the experience of playing in the FA Barclaycard Premiership.

Having also tasted Japanese football, he knows exactly what to expect in terms of the conditions and the response of the crowds as his nation goes into battle with the Republic of Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Germany in Group E.

And he admits the thought of returning home to a similar response to the one enjoyed by Milla more than a decade ago would be a dream come true.

"It's hard enough without trying to emulate Roger Milla," he admitted. "But if I can do half of what he did, I will be happy."