World Cup 2022: Cameroon 3-3 Serbia – Indomitable lions fight back

Cameroon kept their hopes of progressing to the Round of 16 at the World Cup alive as they fought back from two goals down to record a six-goal thriller in Group G against Serbia.

Cameroon took the lead through Jean-Charles Castelletto but Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic responded to give Serbia the lead at half-time.

Aleksandar Mitrovic added a third for Serbia and they looked set for a win that would have placed them in a strong position to break out of the group.

But the Indomitable Lions struck back three minutes later thanks to Vincent Aboubakar’s superb chip and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s equalizer.

Mitrovic had a chance to regain the lead for his side but the Fulham striker fired wide from a Dusan Tadic serve in the final moments.

Both teams lost their opening game, leaving them two points behind the second-placed Swiss with this result lost 1-0 to leaders Brazil later on Monday.

Both Serbia and Cameroon need to win their final games against Switzerland and Brazil respectively to keep their qualifying hopes alive.

In what is arguably the most entertaining game of the tournament so far, Serbia started brilliantly and Mitrovic came close twice to putting his side ahead.

He hit the post before missing a shot after the ball fell friendly to him in the box as Serbia made all the early run.

Cameroon took the lead against the run of play, however, when Nicolas N’Koulou licked a corner and Castelletto scored his first international goal from close range at home.

However, Serbia didn’t panic and turned the game upside down in first-half injury time.

Pavlovic headed Serbia’s first World Cup goal in 335 minutes before Milinkovic-Savic beat Cameroon keeper Devis Epassy with a low shot.

As Mitrovic completed a brilliant Serb pass to a two-goal lead, it looked like Dragan Stojkovic’s side were headed for a comfortable victory.

Substitute Aboubakar gave Cameroon hope, however, as he ran clean and, perhaps thinking he was offside, passed past a defender and casually flicked the ball over Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to score one of the best goals of the tournament.

Three minutes later, the striker hit the offside trap again, but this time ex-Stoke City striker Choupo-Moting struck the ball from close range to equalize.

While Cameroon looked dangerous as they pressed for victory, Mitrovic had the best chance of winning, but he writhed wide as Serbia regretted not being able to finish the game.

In the event of a loss, Cameroon would have had to rely on Switzerland beating Brazil to avoid elimination with one game remaining.

Instead, Rigobert Song’s side are hoping to advance through the group stage for the first time since 1990, although their final game against Brazil will be a difficult one.

player of the game

AboubakarVincent Aboubakar

Cameroon

1. squad number10player nameAboubakar

2. squad number20player nameMbeumo

3. squad number11player namebassogog

4. squad numberfifteenplayer nameCould

5. squad number7player nameNkoudou

6. squad number13player nameChoupo Moting

7. squad number14player nameTo Gouet

8. squad number18player nameHongla

9. squad number12player nameShop Ekambi

10. squad number21player namesmall lock

11. squad number5player nameturn it on

12. squad number25player nameThree

13. squad number3player nameNkoulou

14. squad number19player nameCollins Fai

15. squad number8thplayer nameAnguissa

16. squad number16player nameEpassy

Serbia

1. squad number20player nameS Milinkovic-Savic

2. squad number9player nameMitrovica

3. squad number10player nameTadic

4. squad number23player nameV Milinkovic-Savic

5. squad number2player namePavlovic

6. squad number17player namecostly

7. squad number14player nameZivkovic

8. squad number16player nameLukic

9. squad number6player nameMaximovich

10. squad number4player nameMilenkovic

11. squad number5player nameVeljkovic

12. squad number21player nameDjurician

13. squad number13player nameMitrovica

14. squad number26player nameGrujic

15. squad number7player nameRadonjic

16. squad numberfifteenplayer namegrandmothers

lineups

Cameroon

formation 4-3-3

16Epassy

19Fai Collins21small lock3Nkoulou25Three

8thAnguissa18HonglafifteenCould

20Mbeumo13Choupo Moting12Shop Ekambi

• 16Epassy
• 19Fai Collins
• 21small lock
• 3Nkoulou24 minutes booked
• 25Three
• 8thAnguissaReplaced byTo Gouetat 81′protocol
• 18HonglaReplaced byAboubakarat 55′protocol
• fifteenCouldReplaced byturn it onat 67′protocol
• 20MbeumoReplaced byNkoudouat 81′protocol
• 13Choupo Moting
• 12Shop EkambiReplaced bybassogogat 67′protocol30 minutes booked

substitute

• 1By pandouetnbu
• 2Ngo Mbekeli
• 4Wow
• 5turn it on
• 6I am sorry
• 7Nkoudou
• 9Equal
• 10Aboubakar
• 11bassogog
• 14To Gouet
• 17An advantage
• 22Surname
• 24Eboss
• 26Maru

Serbia

formation 3-4-2-1

23V Milinkovic-Savic

4Milenkovic5Veljkovic2Pavlovic

14Zivkovic6Maximovich16Lukic17costly

10Tadic20S Milinkovic-Savic

9Mitrovica

• 23V Milinkovic-Savic
• 4Milenkovic90 minutes booked
• 5VeljkovicReplaced bygrandmothersat 78′protocol
• 2PavlovicReplaced byMitrovicaat 56′protocol
• 14ZivkovicReplaced byRadonjicat 78′protocol
• 6Maximovich
• 16Lukic
• 17costlyReplaced byDjuricianat 90+2′protocol
• 10Tadic
• 20S Milinkovic-SavicReplaced byGrujicat 79′protocol
• 9Mitrovica

substitute

• 1Dmitrovic
• 3Erakovic
• 7Radonjic
• 8thGudelj
• 11Jovic
• 12Rajkovic
• 13Mitrovica
• fifteengrandmothers
• 18Vlahovic
• 19Racic
• 21Djurician
• 22Lasović
• 24Ilic
• 25Mladenovic
• 26Grujic

Referee: Mohamed Abdullah Hassan

Number of visitors: 39,789

live text

1. Game ends, Cameroon 3, Serbia 3.

2. Second half ends, Cameroon 3, Serbia 3.

3. Foul by Dusan Tadic (Serbia).

4. Christian Bassogog (Cameroon) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

5. attempt saved. Marko Grujic (Serbia) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top center of the goal. Assisted by Filip Djuricic.

6. attempt saved. Georges-Kévin Nkoudou (Cameroon) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the center of the goal.

7. Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

8. Foul by Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia).

9. Georges-Kévin Nkoudou (Cameroon) wins a free kick on the left wing.

10. Foul by Dusan Tadic (Serbia).

11. Collins Fai (Cameroon) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

12. Substitution, Serbia. Filip Djuricic replaces Filip Kostic.

13. Offside Serbia. Dusan Tadic tries a through ball, but Aleksandar Mitrovic is caught offside.

14. attempt failed. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia) right footed shot from the center of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Dusan Tadic.

15. attempt saved. Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top center of the goal. Assisted by Eric Choupo-Moting.

16. Dusan Tadic (Serbia) wins a free kick on the left wing.

17. Foul by Jean-Charles Castelletto (Cameroon).

18. Substitution Cameroon. Georges-Kevin Nkoudou replaces Bryan Mbeumo.

19. Substitution Cameroon. Samuel Oum Gouet replaces Frank Anguissa.

20. Corner, Cameroon. Goal by Nemanja Radonjic.