Cameroon-Serbia: madness ends in a draw

In a match critical to the fate of both teams in the World Cup, Cameroon and Serbia treated the fans to a match full of goals (3-3) and chances that, nevertheless, leaves both teams on the brink of elimination.

Both teams came into the match off a loss on the first day. Defeat for either side would have likely meant elimination, and this pressure was evident throughout the match. The African side played in the midst of the controversy following coach Rigobert Song's decision to drop their first-choice goalkeeper, Andre Onana, from the squad.

Although the first chances fell to Serbia, the "Indomitable Lions" grabbed an early lead after taking advantage of a mistake by their opponents which conceded a corner. Casteletto finished off a ball headed in by Nkolou at the near post.

Serbia

From this point on, Serbia went in search of the equalizer to no avail. In heavy pursuit of a goal, they let Cameroon slip away for a one-on-one on the counterattack, though they were unable to convert. This gave the Balkans a wake-up call, and they turned the game around just three minutes before halftime, with goals from Pavlovic and Sergej.

Aboubakar turns the game around

After the break, the Serbian side went in for the kill, with a goal from Mitrovic extending the lead to 3-1. The Serbian striker, who had missed several chances in the first half, managed to put home an easy goal that seemed to keep the Serbians' World Cup hopes alive.

Aboubakar's departure from the bench gave another boost to the Cameroonians, who closed the gap thanks to a beautiful goal from the striker's lob just six minutes after coming on the pitch. Shortly thereafter, an assist from Aboubakar allowed Choupo-Mouting to tap home the equalizer that would end up being the match's final goal. The game was a delight for fans that left both teams with a remote chance of advancing past the first round.