LUSAIL, Qatar — Cameron‘S Vincent Aboubakar scored a late goal to give them a memorable 1-0 victory first Brazil on Friday, but that was not enough to help Rigobert Song’s side reach the knockout stages of Qatar 2022.
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Brazil dominated for most of the game, but Aboubakar’s 90th-minute goal ensured Cameroon’s World Cup campaign ended on a winning streak. He celebrated by taking off his shirt and was then sent off by referee Ismail Elfath, who showed the striker a second yellow card for his celebratory behavior following another booking earlier in the game. .
With qualification secured, Brazil coach Tite made 9 changes to his team before the game and awarded Dani Alves the captain’s armband, and while they came out on top as group G winners, it was a shocking result and not the kind of preparation they wanted ahead of their round of 16 match against south Korea in Monday.
JUMP TO: Player Rating | Best/worst performer | Highlights and remarkable moments | Quotes after the game | main statistics | upcoming match schedule
rapid response
1. Cameroon shocked again for this World Cup
Tite’s much-changed Brazil team has given the starters a great opportunity to give the manager a selection headache ahead of the round of 16. One couple won it, while the others skipped.
Despite the changes, Brazil’s expectations remained the same: they predicted and demanded a win. In a World Cup of shocks, here’s another thing to add to the list.
The series of changes shows that Tite is strengthening the faith he has in the team to get the job done in Qatar. Only third-choice goalkeeper Weverson is yet to have a minute. But the options gamble, at least in the short term, didn’t work out.
Among those included, it was weapon Man Gabriel Martinelli who was Brazil’s best player on the pitch when his trick gave Cameroon a headache. Twice he got past his keeper to hit the goal, and it was just a wise choice of position by the goalkeeper Devis Epassy that keeps them out.
However, there were those who did not take advantage of their opportunities. Gabriel Jesus never really created a chance — being substituted after 54 minutes by Everton Ribeiro — but played well in association. On the opposite wing to Martinelli, Antony showed brilliance in the opening stages but was ultimately removed from the game by Seattle Sounders‘ Tolo Nouhou. Rodrigo was one of the promising players to come on from the bench in Brazil’s 1-0 win over Switzerland but was rudely handled by the Cameroon defense and could not make it difficult for the goal.
Their extravagance ultimately cost them dearly, while it was a defensive blunder that allowed Aboubakar to go home late with Bremer miss your man. That will make Tite worry about Korea lying in wait and injured players watching from the stands.
For Brazil, the focus is on those sitting in the stands or not being used on the bench as well as those on the pitch. Neymar was at the stadium as he continued to recover from an ankle injury – the sight of him drew warm cheers from the Brazilian fans who had filled the Lusail Stadium – while danilo and Alex Sandro also there. Suppose, I think Alex told forced off the field with injury early in the second half, Brazil will be hoping Alex Sandro will be ready for the next stage. The signs were promising there, but the breadth of the team’s reserve defense was tested here with Marquinhos finished as an interim left-back.
For those who wanted to squeeze into the starting lineup, most failed to take advantage of their opportunities.
2. Cameroon impresses despite being eliminated in the group stage
Cameroon need a win over Brazil and results elsewhere to progress if they want to progress to the knockout stages, but despite getting the job done, their turbulent World Cup ended in the group stage. . Considering they started off with a lackluster 0-1 defeat to Switzerland, then had to deal with The departure scandal of goalkeeper Andre OnanaThe fact that they gathered and are still trying to reach the round of 16 to enter the final match is their merit.
Their hero against Serbia – when they came back from 1-3 to draw 3-3 – gave them the groundwork to make history against Brazil. They were patient. For most of the match, they had their backs against the wall. Up until Aboubakar’s late goal, the closest they came to it was Bryan Mbeumo’s header at half-time, which required a world-class save from Ederson to be kept out.
The scenario played out similarly in the second half, as they repelled anything and everything that Brazil threw at them. And the credit must go to the players and managers for their defensive organization. Since they don’t have the first two selected centre-backs for the game – both Jean-Charles Castelloto and Nicolas Nkoulou injured — the fact that they managed to knock out Brazil was a great effort. And in the absence of Onana, Epassy put in a great performance in front of goal. He made a strong impression in stopping the Brazilian attacks. All have helped Aboubakar make his mark in history.
3. Dani Alves makes Brazil Men’s World Cup history
The ageless Dani Alves has cemented his place in Brazilian football history by becoming the oldest male player to represent his country in the World Cup. He is the captain of the team, and at the age of 39 210 days, he has surpassed the previous record held by compatriot right-back Djalma Santos, who was 37 years old at the 1966 World Cup.
The inclusion of Alves in the 26-man squad has been questioned. Tite was heavily criticized for choosing this veteran, in the context of Alves struggling with a knee injury and in the twilight of his career. But the manager — in his own gentle way — backed the first one Barcelona resilient, says the full-backs in his system don’t necessarily need scorching speed, and that the 39-year-old has other invaluable qualities.
The man himself said before the match that he would be happy to play the rattles to keep his spirits up, but he proved to Cameroon that he is not here just to make up the numbers. He did a good job of blocking threats from his flanks for most of the game, and with the Brazil full-back injured it is likely he will be called up at some stage. meeting Korea in the round of 16.
Player Rating
Camera: Devis Epassy 8, Collins Fai 7, Enzo Ebosse 7, Christopher Wooh 7, Tolo Nouhou 7, Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu 6, Pierre Kunde 6, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa 8, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting 7, Bryan Mbeumo 6, Vincent Aboubakar 7
Prep: Karl Toko Ekambi 6, Olivier Ntcham 6, Jerome Ngom Mbekeli 6
Brazil: Ederson 7, Dani Alves 7, Bremer 7, Éder Militão 7, Alex Telles 6, Fabinho 7, Fred 6, Rodrygo 6, Antony 7, Gabriel Martinelli 8, Gabriel Jesus 6
Prep: Bruno Guimaraes 6, Marquinhos 6, Everton Ribeiro 6, Pedro 6, raphinha 6
Best and worst performers
BEST: Devis Epassy, Cameron. No. 1 Abha scored an epic goal for Cameroon. He stops anything and everything throws his way.
WORST: Gabriel Jesus, Brazil. Difficult, this, but the Arsenal striker was unable to put his mark on the game.
Highlights and remarkable moments
With Brazilian legend Pele was hospitalized for a respiratory infection, Selecao fans sent the former Santos star their best.
Brazilian fans hold up ‘Pelé get well soon’ during the national anthem ❤️🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/xlRC7XqiaL
– FOX Football (@FOXSoccer) December 2, 2022
Even Ismail Elfath felt bad about having to fire Aboubakar.
Aboubakar celebrates a goal for Cameroon by taking off his shirt and then being sent off for a second yellow card 😅 pic.twitter.com/JubSqTAX1L
– FOX Football (@FOXSoccer) December 2, 2022
After the game: What players and coaches say
Epassy: “We can be proud of what we did tonight because it shows that we can be a top team. However, we didn’t qualify, that’s why we did. I’m not too pleased with tonight.”
Fabinho: “If you don’t kill [the game], the opponent just needs a chance. Here’s what happened. Thankfully, we were at the top of the group. It wasn’t a loss that knocked us out but we can still learn from it. We created a lot but we couldn’t miss that many goals.”
Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)
– Mbeumo’s shot on target in the third minute of injury time was the first on target Brazil has faced in this World Cup.
– Aboubakar is the first player to be sent off for celebrating excessively during a World Cup match since at least 1966.
– Cameroon ended Brazil’s 17-match unbeaten streak in the group stage of the World Cup. Before Friday, they hadn’t lost in this stage of the competition since 1998 when Norway beat them.
Next
Camera: Cameroon’s FIFA World Cup has come to an end, but they will play again in March, when they host Namibia in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on 20 March.
Brazil: The Selecao will meet South Korea on Monday in the round of 16.
