This Cameroon has character.
Led 3 to 1 by a Serbia with an impressive offensive armada, the Indomitable Lions, guided by a Vincent Aboubakar of the great days, were able to get back into the match and snatch the draw (3-3).
A sharing of points which spares them the shame of equalizing the record for the number of consecutive defeats in the World Cup, still held by Mexico and won between 1930 and 1958.
The day had started badly for the Indomitable Lions team.
The Cameroonian Federation has announced the dismissal of its usual titular goalkeeper, André Onana, for disciplinary reasons.
Cameroon open the scoring
His replacement, Devis Epassy, who plays in Abha (Saudi Arabia) quickly trembles in the face of the Serbian furia, boosted by the presence of a red bend which encourages them on each of their offensives.
Mitrovic requests a one-two with a teammate and rolls a shot into the box on the right side.
The post saves the Cameroonian goalkeeper (11th).
Another strike, on a gross recovery error from Nkoulou, comes close to the amount (19th).
The Indomitable Lions are struggling to really show their fangs but they end up finding a flaw on a set piece.
On a corner, Nkoulou first extended with a header before Castelletto pushed the ball with his flat foot into the back of the net (28', 1-0).
Kunde even scratches a 2-0 ball a few minutes later.
On a high recovery, he adjusts a shot on target that the Serbian goalkeeper pushes back.
He misses his volley (43rd).
The Lions crack in stoppage time
He can bite his fingers.
Serbia will overthrow the Cameroonians before the break.
First a free kick from Tadic who finds the head of Pavlovic who sends the ball into the skylight (45th + 1, 1-1).
Then, Anguissa misses his control just in front of his surface.
The ball returns to the Serbian feet.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is served and sends a superb unstoppable curling strike (45th + 3, 1-2).
The red bend ignites.
Coldly, Serbia does not want to leave any reason to hope in Cameroon when they return from the locker room.
While Martin Hongla lost the ball near the surface, the Serbs chained the passes in the box.
Mitrovic is finally served in the axis to send the ball into the back of the net (53rd, 1-3).
royal aboubakar
But the Indomitable Lions refuse to die like this.
The incoming Aboubakar is found unmarked in the back of the defense.
The CAN-2022 hero lobbed the Serbian goalkeeper with a ladle worthy of a video game.
The goal is checked after a suspicion of offside but is validated after a period of uncertainty which will have prevented Aboubakar from celebrating (63rd, 2-3).
It is still him who is launched at the extreme limit of the offside on the following action.
He comes in front of the goal but slips to Choupo-Moting who pushes the goal of the equalizer into the back of the net (66th, 3-3)
Both teams are doing everything to turn the match in their favor.
Epassy saves the Indomitable Lions on yet another strike from Mitrovic (73rd).
Christian Bassogog, shifted to the right, returned to the area towards Choupo-Moting but the Bayern striker was gripped by two opponents (78th).
A shot from Aboubakar ends up in the gloves of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (83') and Mitrovic grazes the post (88').
But the match will no longer switch.
A point from the draw which neither helps nor condemns either team.
Both teams can still claim the round of 16 even if for the Indomitable Lions, it will go through a victory against the dreaded Brazil.
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