Cameroon 1-2 Serbia LIVE: A two-minute turnaround sees scandal-hit Cameroon COLLAPSE as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Strahinja Pavlovic net, hours after their keeper was SENT HOME
Follow Sportsmail’s live blog for the World Cup Group G clash between Cameroon and Serbia.
Host commentator
And… we are back underway!
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What a strike from the Serbian midfielder to put his country in front#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/AZGNgGlaTt
What a header! ?
Strahinja Pavlovi levels it for Serbia before half time#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/SbUPE0peph
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The whole bench joins the celebrations as Jean-Charles Castelletto scores his first-ever goal for his country #ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/aJi3nLx9LY
There goes the half-time whistle and wow Cameroon needed it. They conceded two goals in the space of 152 seconds! Safe to say Rigobert Song will have something to say about that…
51mins: Wow! Cameroon need the half-time whistle. Serbia have just won themselves a corner after another counter-attack that could have easily lead to goal.
GOAL SERBIA! That goal came from more poor decision-making from Cameroon. Kunde received the ball on the edge of Cameroon’s box. He tried to flick it over his own head before being dispossessed by Tadic.
Tadic then played it Zivkovic – who found Milinkovic-Savic on the edge of the box. Milinkovic-Savic took a touch and then fired it past Epassy with relative ease!
SERBIA GOAL! Cameroon will be fuming with Hongla for giving away such a clumsy foul in the middle of the park. Nevertheless, it was Tadic who played the ball into the middle of the box. Pavlovic jumped above Anguissa to head it into the top left-hand-corner of the goal. It was a great finish that left Epassy stood rooted to the ground.
45mins: Serbia awarded a free-kick just outside the box after Hongla gave away a clumsy foul.
42mins: Lukic is dispossessed by Kunde in the middle of the pitch! The Cameroon midfielder breaks forwards at pace and enters the box on the right-hand-side. He unleashes a rocket towards goal but Milinkovic-Savic does well to make the save.
38mins: Another chance for Serbia! Zivkovic crosses the ball into the box from the left-hand-side. It’s headed out to Milinkovic-Savic on the right. He controls it and plays the perfect ball to Tadic in the middle of the box. However, he skies it over the bar! What a waste.
37mins: Lovely play from Zivkovic! He picked up the ball around the halfway line. Drove hard down the line before slipping Mitrovic in on the edge of box. He then plays it on to Tadic who couldn’t quite get the shot away.
37mins: Serbia are bringing the intensity. Zivkivic has been shouting at the ball boys to give them the ball faster to they catch Cameroon off guard.
35mins: Cameroon are full of confidence. Anguissa and Mbeumo are connecting well down the right-hand-side of the pitch. Rigobert Song will be happy with his team’s first half performance.
32mins: Serbia are not happy at the ref! The ball was played into the box. Tadic came running through and tried to connect with it but Nkoulou managed to clear it. Tadic couldn’t turn on the breaks fast enough and clashed with the defender. Nothing bad but Nkoulou went down holding his crotch. The ref eventually blew his whistle but Serbia were annoyed as they had regained possession.
GOAL FOR CAMEROON! Cameroon earned themselves a corner. It was played into the middle of the box. Nkoulou headed the ball towards the back post. Castelletto reacted well and slotted it home with the simplest of touches.
27mins: Milinkovic-Savic is having a lot of success down the left-hand-side of the pitch. Cameroon are letting him cut inside too easily. This could cause them more and more trouble as the game goes on.
25mins: Milinkovic-Savic links well with Kostic – playing a little one-two down the left-hand-side before firing the ball into the box. However, Cameroon clear the ball with relative ease.
24mins: Nkoulou handed a yellow card for palming Zivkovic in the face as he shielded the ball out of play. As a result, Serbia are awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the box.
21mins: Chance for Serbia! Zivkovic collects the ball on the right-hand-side of the pitch. He drives towards his player before slipping it to Maksimovic – who was running through into the box. However, Nkoulou did well to slide in and send it out for a corner.
20mins: Cameroon do little with their corner and Serbia regain possession.
19mins: Chance for Cameroon! Mbeumo drops deep and drags his players with him. Kunde recognises it and runs in behind Serbia’s back line to receive a long ball. He takes it down well, beats his player and unleashes a rocket at goal. Milinkovic-Savic does well to palm it out for a corner.
16mins: Huge chance for Serbia! The ball is played into Cameroon’s box. Nkoulou tries to clear it but fires it into his team-mate. It rebounds to Kunde – who also tries to clear it! However, it fall into the path of Mitrovic – who hit it on the half volley! Fantastic connection but just off target!
15mins: Nkoulou get the ball on the edge of the box and decides to shoot! However, his effort went flying into row Z. Safe to safe his team-mates weren’t particularly impressed!
12mins: Hongla is down injured. He has taken his book and his sock off to asses his ankle. Hopefully he will be able to carry on.
11mins: Unbelievable chance for Seriba! Zikovic picks up the ball on the right-hand-side. Plays it to Mitrovic who passes it on to Tadic. Tadic executes a cheeky backheel to play it back to Tadic in the middle of the box. He drives forwards before cutting back inside to beat Nkoulou before firing off a shot that hit the post!
9mins: Ball into the box from Zivkovic. However, he put a little bit too much on it. Cameroon regain possession.
8mins: Lukic and Maksimovic are being given a lot of time in the midfield. They are picking the ball up in the pockets without any pressure. As a result, they are able to turn and attack forwards.
5mins: Chance for Serbia! Mitrovic is delivered the ball on a silver platter at the back post. He rises above Castelletto to head the ball towards goal. However, he couldn’t keep it down and it skims past the cross bar.
4mins: And just like that, Cameroon broke out! They attacked down the left-hand-side of the pitch and played in Toko-Ekambi but the forward couldn’t get the ball out of his feet and turns it over.
4mins: Serbia are pressing high. Cameroon are struggling to get out of their own half. But, should they be able to break free… there will be a lot of space to counter attack into.
3mins: There is a lot of pushing and shoving early on. Both teams have set the tone for the game. It’s going to be fierce and it’s going to be fiery.
1min: Panic over. He seems to be okay. He’s such an important player for Serbia so it would have been a major loss if he was ruled out so early.
1min: We’re not even a minute into the game and Mitrovic is down injured. His head is in his hands and he looks in a lot of pain. The Serbia medical staff are on the pitch and treating him as we speak.
And, just like that we are underway! It is Serbia who get us underway this morning. Both teams need points – meaning this Group G clash should be packed full of action…
Cameroon’s anthem was played first and the fans we heard singing their hearts out. If that’s anything to go by… it’s safe to say Cameroon will have a lot of support during the game.
The players are in the tunnel, getting ready to head out onto the pitch for their Group G clash. But, who will emerge victorious this morning? Only time will tell.
Cameroon starting XI: Fai, Castelletto, N’Koulou, Tolo, Zambo, Kunde, Hongla, Mbeumo, Choupo-Moting, Toko Ekambi.
Serbia starting XI: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic, Zivkovic, Lukic, Maksimovic, Kostic, Tadic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic
Andre Onana has been dropped from the squad for disciplinary reasons and he is said to have gone home already! Yes, as in he has left Qatar.
According to reports, he fell out with Cameroon’s head coach as he didn’t want to change his goalkeeping style!
It’s also been claimed that Samuel Eto’o tried to talk to Onana and encourage him to accept Rigobert Song’s request. However, he had little luck.
Serbia starting XI: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic, Zivkovic, Lukic, Maksimovic, Kostic, Tadic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic
Subs: Dmitrovic, Erakovic, Radonjic, Gudelj, Jovic, Rajkovic, Stefan Mitrovic, Babic, Vlahovic, Racic, Djuricic, Lazovic, Ilic, Mladenovic, Grujic
Cameroon starting XI: Fai, Castelletto, N’Koulou, Tolo, Zambo, Kunde, Hongla, Mbeumo, Choupo-Moting, Toko Ekambi.
Subs: Ngapandouetnbu, Mbekeli, Wooh, Ondoua, Ngamaleu, Nkoudou, Nsame, Aboubakar, Bassogog, Gouet, Mbaizo, Ntcham, Ebosse, Marou
Information via En Calameo.
Serbia's best World Cup goal is __________?
Watch them all here ?? ? #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/3wj374hpLA
Serbia boss Dragan Stojkovic and keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic have refused to comment on on the flag controversy which has prompted FIFA to launch disciplinary proceedings.
The governing body stepped in after images emerged of a nationalist flag in the Serbian dressing room ahead of their opening World Cup clash with Brazil which included Kosovo in a map of the country and the words “no surrender”.
Both men were asked about the issue at their pre-match press conference on the eve of Monday’s Group G clash with Cameroon, but Stojkovic moved on swiftly to talk about football as the task of bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat by the five-time winners faces his team.
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https://youtube.com/watch?v=VKZO1pw-mh8%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26start%3D52%26hl%3Den-US
Speaking yesterday, he said: ‘I don’t think we can all play the same tomorrow as we did in the first game. There were still positives. We don’t have to change everything.
‘I think we did what we needed to do, but we made some mistakes, which put us in this situation.
‘At the start of the game — in the first 10 minutes — we couldn’t find our feet. Later on, we had more control. We tried to play, which is good but that’s not what counts in football. It comes down to the chances we created.
‘So I’m not going to say what I’m going to do tomorrow but I think you’ll see a difference and we’ll try to correct what went wrong in the first game.
‘Being able to finish was crucial. We have regrets about the first half because we’ve shown what we can do.
‘If we’d have converted our chances, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in. You have to convert your chances, it’s as simple as that, that’s what we’ve been focusing on today. I have to make sure my players have the confidence to do that.’
‘Like I said, we know the stakes of this game,’ Fai said. ‘We have to give everything. During the first game, we didn’t give everything.
‘We left with a lot of regrets. Now, we have this game in front of us. We have to play until the end. We don’t have to calculate everything.
‘We just have to give our best, not only 100 per cent, but 120 per cent to win this game if we want to hope for anything.’
Cameroon: (43)
Serbia: (21)
Cameroon have won just one of their 15 World Cup matches that have been played against European opponents.
They have drawn five, lost nine and won one against Romania in 1990. They are winless in 12 games since (drawn three, lost nine).
Manager Rigobert Song played in six of those winless games and managed their 1-0 defeat to Switzerland. Not the most enjoyable time for the 46-year-old eh?
? The games keep on rolling at the #FIFAWorldCup
Which one are you most excited for today? ?#Qatar2022
Cameroon will be without Olivier Ntcham again today. The Swansea midfielder will not feature during the group stage of the tournament due to a hamstring issue.
However, manager Rigobert Song is hopeful he will return for the knock stage… should Cameroon qualify!
Captain Vincent Aboubakar could come back into the starting XI today after playing limited minutes against Switzerland.
Filip Kostic, who missed the defeat by Brazil with a knock, could return for Seriba. It would hand Dragan Stojkovic’s side a major boost as he is a highly-rated left wing-back.
Kostic’s Juventus team-mate Dusan Vlahovic could also return to the starting XI. He came off the bench against Brazil due to his injury but we have tipped him as one to watch today.
He could lead Serbia’s attacking line with Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic – who was selected for the tournament despite suffering with a back issue.
Serbia struggle to keep a clean sheet! They have conceded in eight of their 10 games at the World Cup, shipping at least two goals in six of those games.
But, when they do manage to keep a clean sheet… they thrive! They have won both games in which they’ve managed to keep a clean sheet.
Cameroon possible starting XI: Onana; Fai, N’Koulou, Castelletto, Tolo; Anguissa, Ondoua, Hongla; Mbeumo, Choupo-Moting, Toko Ekambi
Serbia possible starting XI: V. Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Gudelj, S. Milinkovic-Savic, Mladenovic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic
It’s the question on everybody’s lips… just who is going to win the World Cup?
SofaScore, who will be providing detailed statistical data for fans to view on Sportsmail and their own website throughout the tournament, have launched the Pick’Em game, where fans can predict the outcome of every single group and knockout game in Qatar.
You have until the end of the group stages – that is until Friday, December 2 when Cameroon play Portugal and Serbia take on Switzerland – to Pick’Em so there’s no time to waste to lock in your selections.
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Samuel Eto’o made a bold claim that Cameroon will beat Morocco in the final of this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker who played at four editions of the tournament for Cameroon across a glittering career claimed that this year was the time an African side would show their full potential.
No country from Africa has ever made it past the quarter-finals, with only Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) ever making it beyond the last 16 stage.
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Gianluigi Buffon is supporting Cameroon during the World Cup after Italy failed to qualify for Qatar, with the legendary goalkeeper saying the nation has long been his been his ‘second team’.
Italy are missing their second consecutive World Cup, with the reigning European champions suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in a playoff in March.
The defeat followed the Azzurri missing out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia, after a play-off loss to Sweden.
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Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic – Yes, it’s a bit of a cop out picking two players, but the pair will both play pivotal roles.
Starting with Vlahovic, his rise to stardom – from somebody nobody knew much about to one of the best finishers in European football – has been sensational.
Still only 22 years old, he signed for Juventus for £67m in January. He has so far scored 17 goals in 36 games for Juventus, including six in 10 in the Serie A this season.
Meanwhile, Mitrovic has well and truly proved this season that the hype is real. After a stunning 43 goals in 44 Championship games last season, the 28-year-old has brought his fine form to the Premier League.
With nine goals in 11 games, only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland have outperformed the striker in England’s top flight this season.
Monday 28 November
- Cameroon vs Serbia – 10am
- Brazil vs Switzerland – 4pm
Friday 2 December
- Cameroon vs Brazil – 7pm
- Serbia vs Switzerland – 7pm
Karl Toko Ekambi – The Lyon forward has scored 12 goals in 50 caps for his country, and spearheads an attack which also has strength in depth in the form of Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana will be one of the most exciting goalkeepers in the tournament too.
Cameroon struggle when it comes to World Cups. They have lost their last eight matches at the World Cup, with those defeats coming across four tournaments (2002, 2010, 2014 and 2022).
Another defeat would equal the longest-ever losing run by a nation at the World Cup, set by Mexico between 1930 and 1958 (Nine in a row).
It’s not the type of history Cameroon were hoping to make at the 2022 World Cup… that’s for sure!
Serbia have lost both of their previous World Cup games against African sides. Those loses came against the Ivory Coast in 2006 (2-3) and Ghana in 2010 (0-1). So, could they be at risk of suffering a third defeat? Only time will tell…
Rigobert Song – Capped 137 times by his country, appearing at four World Cups and eight Africa Cup of Nations, Song is a Cameroonian legend for his successes on the pitch from 1993-2010.
Yet after the hosts were knocked out of AFCON 2021 in the semi-final stage, Song received the opportunity to make his name in the dugout as he replaced Portuguese coach Toni Conceicao.
Song immediately proved his worth as Cameroon clinched their place in Qatar in dramatic fashion.
Cameroon last made it to the quarter-finals of a World Cup all the way back in 1990, and though an inexperienced coach, Song will do all he can to change that this year.
With 64 strips potentially being used at the tournament though there are likely to be a mixed range of hits and misses – and not everyone is going to agree on what those are.
Still, Sportsmail has given it a go as we have produced an overall rank for EVERY country’s World Cup kits that they will take to the pitch in Qatar.
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Dragan Stojkovic – Stojkovic was an instrumental player in helping Yugoslavia reach the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals and the Euro 2000 last eight. And he was the prime candidate to take over after Serbia failed to reach Euro 2020 under Ljubisa Tumbakovic.
He was a fringe player in the Marseille side that won the 1993 European Cup, having also featured in their penalty shootout defeat in the 1991 final by his former club Red Star Belgrade.
He won two Yugoslav league titles with Red Star as a player and steered Nagoya Grampus Eight to the Japanese league title as coach in 2010, having also played for them between 1994-2001.
Serbia have competed in three of the last four World Cups, failing to reach the knockout stages in each. Stojkovic will be desperate for that to change come early December.
Brazil were frustrated in the first half as Serbia closed down well and limited the attacking space. But, the second 45 minutes was a completely different story, with the Selecao taking over.
Richarlson tucked the opener home after the goalkeeper parried Vinicius Jr’s effort into his path. Richarlson also scored the second. It was beautifully taken by the Tottenham man, who cushioned the ball with a wonderful first touch and volleyed it in.
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Breel Embolo scored the only goal as Switzerland’s World Cup campaign got off to a winning start in Group G after defeating Cameroon 1-0.
Embolo’s second half strike was enough to secure victory for the Swiss, as they moved to top of Group G with Brazil and Serbia yet to play.
Cameroon’s first World Cup since 2014 started the same way their last finals appearance ended, in defeat, and they now sit bottom of the group.
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Roger Milla received a special award ahead of Cameroon’s clash with Switzerland. The 70-year-old was invited out onto the pitch to collect the award from FIFA.
Milla was given the award for becoming the World Cup’s oldest ever goalscorer, having found the net at 42 back in 1994.
Mitrovic slotted eight goals in eight matches on the road to Qatar – a tally only Memphis Depay and Harry Kane (both 12) could better.
He’s has also been in brilliant form for Fulham, scoring nine goals in 12 Premier League outings to sit fourth in the Golden Boot race. If Serbian midfielders are in two minds over what to do, sticking up a hanging cross to the back post will be the option.
Playing on home soil, Cameroon made it to the semi-finals of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, but they missed out on a place in the final after losing on penalties to Egypt.
They did manage to win the third-place play-off two days later, though, beating Burkina Faso on penalties.
A stunning, unbeaten qualifying campaign saw Serbia overcome the might of Portugal to finish top of Group A with six wins from their eight matches.
Mitrovic’s last-gasp heroics against Portugal sealed a memorable win and booked their place in Qatar but dramatic wins over the Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan also played their part.
Cameroon’s best finish at a World Cup came at Italia ’90, where the team made it to the quarter-finals before being knocked out by England after extra-time.
It was a memorable tournament for the team inspired by Roger Milla, as they beat defending champions Argentina in their opening game thanks to a goal from Francois Omam-Biyik.
Having made it through the first and second rounds of qualifying, Cameroon were left with the task of facing Algeria in a two-legged play-off for a place in Qatar.
After losing the first leg at home 1-0, it looked like Cameroon’s World Cup hopes were fading.
However, they won the return leg by the same margin to force extra-time. They went behind on aggregate again in extra-time, but Karl Toko Ekambi popped up in the 124th minute to score, sending Cameroon through on away goals.
Goalkeepers: Marko Dmitrovic (Sevilla), Predrag Rajkovic (Mallorca), Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Torino)
Defenders: Stefan Mitrovic (Red Star Belgrade), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina), Strahinja Pavlovic (Salzburg), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Filip Mladenovic (Legia Warsaw), Strahinja Erakovic (Red Star Belgrade), Srdan Babic (Almeria)
Midfielders: Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio), Sasa Lukic (Torino), Marko Grujic (Porto), Filip Kostic (Juventus), Uros Racic (Braga), Nemanja Maksimovic (Getafe), Ivan Ilic (Hellas Verona), Andrija Zivkovic (PAOK Thessaloniki), Darko Lazovic (Hellas Verona)
Forwards: Dusan Tadic (Ajax), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham), Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), Filip Duricic (Sampdoria), Luka Jovic (Fiorentina), Nemanja Radonjic (Torino)
Goalkeepers: Devis Epassy (Abha Club), Simon Ngapandouetnbu (Marseille), Andre Onana (Inter Milan)
Defenders: Jean-Charles Castelletto (Nantes), Enzo Ebosse (Udinese), Collins Fai (Al Tai), Olivier Mbaizo (Philadelphia Union), Nicolas Nkoulou (Aris Salonika), Tolo Nouhou (Seattle Sounders), Christopher Wooh (Stade Rennes)
Midfielders: Martin Hongla (Verona), Pierre Kunde (Olympiakos), Olivier Ntcham (Swansea City), Gael Ondoua (Hannover 96), Samuel Oum Gouet (Mechelen), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli)
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Al Nassr), Christian Bassogog (Shanghai Shenhua), Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting (Bayern Munich), Souaibou Marou (Coton Sport), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu (Young Boys Berne), Jerome Ngom (Colombe Dja), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (Besiktas), Jean-Pierre Nsame (Young Boys Berne), Karl Toko Ekambi (Olympique Lyonnais)
Cameroon’s fixture with Serbia will take place at the Al Janoub Stadium – which is located 22km south of central Doha.
After the tournament, Al Janoub’s capacity – which currently stands at around 44,000 – will be reduced. Seats will be donated to other sporting projects around the world.
The game between Cameroon and Serbia will be aired live on ITV for UK viewers. If you are looking to stream the game, you need to head to the ITV Hub.
The game will be free to watch for all UK viewers with a TV License. Meanwhile, the following stations will be airing the game for American viewers: FOX, Telemundo, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Peacock Premium, Vidgo and Sling Blue.
Australian viewers can tune into the game via SBS, who will be televising every match during the 2022 World Cup. SBS On Demand will also stream the Cameroon vs Serbia fixture for those on the move.
If you’re unable to watch the game live, you can relive the action via the FIFA YouTube Channel (Worldwide). The official YouTube channel will be posting highlight reels after each game.
Hello and welcome to Sportsmail’s coverage of today’s opening fixture between Cameroon and Serbia.
Serbia head into the game off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Brazil. It was a particularly miserable night for Dragan Stojkovic’s side as Brazil’s goalkeeper Alisson was not tested once during the game.
Meanwhile, Cameroon suffered a narrow defeat to Switzerland in their opening game. It was Cameroon-born Breel Embolo that scored for the Swiss in the 48th minute of the game.
Make sure you stay tuned for all the build-up to the game and the minute-by-minute coverage of the fixture.
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