The Indomitable Lions and a World Cup win for the ages
World Cup Diaries: Day 13.
World Cup Diaries: Day 13.
CAMEROON 1 (Aboubakar 90+2)
BRAZIL 0
In order to qualify from Group G in this final evening of group games before the knock-out madness of this World Cup begins in earnest tomorrow, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon needed a minor miracle, and even an injury time winner against Brazil and the subsequent sending off of their jubilant goal scoring hero Vincent Aboubakar wasn’t enough. Just a few Qatari miles away, Switzerland and Serbia were exchanging goals in a five goal thriller that ended with a brilliant team goal being scored by Nottingham Forest and Swiss international midfielder Remo Freuler on 48 minutes, and even a dramatic late winning goal against the number one ranked team in the world wasn’t enough for Rigobert Song’s brave Cameroonian lions.
Brazil, already qualified and virtually certain of winning Group G, were much changed and captained by their legendary full back Dani Alves. I may very well be incredibly biased but I saw a stand out opening 20 minute performance from Liverpool’s Fabinho (but a rather insignificant 2nd half) and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli impressed me as he always does. He’s only 21 year old and although he wears the wrong red coloured jersey in the Premier League, he’s a real superstar in the making. Aside from this, I thought the blue shirted Brazilians were underwhelming and far away from their traditional yellow shirted excellence. Brazil never seem to be Brazil unless they play in their customary yellow, green and blue!
Rigobert Song’s lions were in their pleasingly customary colours, played a little less chaotically than on previous and past World Cup occasions, and thoroughly deserved their win for the ages. Their winning goal, just minutes into injury time, was as pure a footballing goal as you could wish to see. Substitute Ngom Mbekeli’s whipped running cross is met by goal scorer Vincent Aboubakar with a header ever so slightly behind him but with his run taking him slightly to the left and away from goal, he meets the ball just on the downward from its apex and across Ederson in the Brazil goal. The Manchester City goalkeeping custodian can only stand and watch helplessly as this beautiful header nestles perfectly into the corner of his net.
Sheer poetry in motion.
As was the celebration and it was oh so beautifully Cameroonian! Ripping his shirt off in exuberant and unrestrained joy, Aboubakar is mobbed by players and substitutes alike, I’m sure I saw Rigobert Song celebrating wildly on the pitch with one of his players (there was still 5 or 6 injury time minutes left yet!) and then our goal scoring hero shook the referee’s hand before being sent off for a second yellow card for taking off his shirt!
But for a goal or two elsewhere, Cameroon would have qualified. Alas, we have to wait three and half years for the next World Cup, and our next taste of Cameroonian madness on a footballing field!
Earlier in the day in Group H, there was another injury time goal and this time, the reverberations were felt around the footballing world. With seconds to go, Uruguay (winning 2–0 against Ghana) were through to the knock-out stages and a date with Brazil on Monday night. South Korea (needing a win to qualify and drawing 1–1 with Portugal) were defending a corner when a headed clearance fell perfectly at the feet of Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-Min. Already qualified Portugal were clearly seeking a late winning goal and a perfect 3 wins out of 3 from the group stage as they packed the Korean penalty area for the corner and thus, wide open to the counter attack now under way from South Korea’s number 7. As 5 maybe 6 retreating white shirted defenders eventually surrounded the ball carrier, Son played an inch perfect pass into the running stride of Hwang Hee-Chan, and he buried an instant shot into the far corner of the Portuguese net.
Cue wildly celebrating substitutes flooding the pitch as they chased their goal scoring hero!
Thanks for reading. In addition to the delights that can be found within the cave of wonders that is my archives, I’m penning a day to day diary of the World Cup, and here are days 10 through 12:
Belgium and Germany depart on yet another day of VAR inspired madness
World Cup Diaries: Day 12.medium.com
Magnificent Mac Allister steers Argentina into the Last 16
World Cup Diaries: Day 11medium.com
Two captains performances see the “Lions of Teranga” and the USA through to the last 16
World Cup Diaries: Day 10medium.com