- Cameroon meet Brazil in their final group game
- It is a must-win for the Central Africans
- They are yet to register a win in Qatar
WHAT HAPPENED? The Indomitable Lions lost and drew their first two 2022 Fifa World Cup games, against Switzerland and Serbia, respectively. Those results have left them third in Group G and need nothing short of victory against Brazil to progress to the next round of the World Cup. While beating Brazil appears to be a high mountain to climb for the Central Africans, Song has warned the Selecao of an upset, saying Cameroon aren't just in Qatar to make up the numbers.
WHAT SONG SAID: “What was important was to show that great fighting spirit and determination [against Serbia],” said Song as per BBC Sport.
“We reacted as well as we could [at 3-1 down] to get back into the match. We are progressing and improving. It is possible to beat Brazil. We believe in ourselves, we did not come here to just go through the motions. Cameroon still has a contribution to make to this tournament.”
AND WHAT MORE?: After Vincent Abubakar came on as a substitute 10 minutes into the second half in the 3-3 draw with Serbia on Monday, the Cameroon skipper was instrumental, scoring and providing an assist. He was named Man of the Match and such performances might convince Song to start his skipper against Brazil.
WHAT ABOUBAKAR SAID: “In these competitions, you have to show desire for victory,” said Aboubakar. “My teammates played a great first half despite some small mistakes. We felt they [Serbia] were shaky and a bit tired. When I came on, I tried to make the most of it. [The] most important [thing] is to give the Cameroon people joy. What matters is the mindset and the collective spirit, and in that regard we played a great game."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Since reaching the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals, Cameroon have not gone past the group stage of this tournament. After that heroic outing at Italy 1990, they have not progressed to the knockout phase of five World Cup finals.
STORY IN TWO PHOTOS:
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BackpageWHAT NEXT FOR CAMEROON? Song and his men will be hoping to beat Brazil on Friday to avoid an early exit from this tournament. It is a huge fixture that would be a tough test of their big-match temperament.
