- At the end of the preliminary round at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Cameroon surprisingly won 1-0 against Brazil.
- Vincent Aboubakar scored the only goal of the game in the 92nd minute.
- As group winners, Brazil meets South Korea, who secured second place in Group H, in the round of 16.
- In the other game in Group G, Switzerland beat Serbia 3-2 and also qualified for the round of 16.
The crucial moment of the game only took place in stoppage time. Vincent Aboubakar ran free in the penalty area and headed a cross into the net: 1-0 for Cameroon. In his exuberant joy, he took off his jersey and then marched to the referee with a smile to collect his penalty: Because he had already been warned, he was sent off with a yellow card.
That will probably not annoy the Cameroonians much. Even with ten of them, they took the narrow lead over time. And despite the victory at the end, the Central Africans have to start their journey home. Because Switzerland beat Serbia 3-2 at the same time, Cameroon ended the group stage in third place.
Rotation at Brazil
Brazil’s coach Tite had changed his team for the last group game against Cameroon on 9 positions. Among them was Dani Alves, who at 39 years, 6 months and 27 days became the oldest Brazilian to appear in a World Cup game. Especially in the first half you noticed the many changes in the South Americans.
Although the Brazilians took control of the game, they didn’t know what to do with possession of the ball. Active Gabriel Martinelli had his best opportunity after 14 minutes, when he forced a save from Devis Mboka with a header. Shortly before the break it was again the Arsenal player who conjured up some goal threat with a finish.
The free kick thing
Again and again the Cameroonians only knew how to help themselves with fouls in the defensive movement. So the “Seleçao” got some free kicks from good positions, but missed it to create a goal threat. Rather, the long discussions before the execution caused a stir: The Brazilians needed almost 4 minutes for 2 free kicks.
Ederson prevents backlog
The Cameroonians had the greatest chance of the first half. Ederson brilliantly parried a header from Bryan Mbeumo. The goalkeeper also benefited from the rotation and made his first appearance in the third World Cup game – with this save he repaid his coach’s trust.
In injury time, however, Ederson was no longer able to prevent the gap. Despite the defeat, the Brazilians secure the group victory, thanks to the better goal difference, ahead of Switzerland.
Here’s how to proceed
In the round of 16, Group G winners Brazil will meet South Korea, who have secured second place in Group H, on Monday evening at 20:00 CET. The World Cup is over for Cameroon.