Qatar World Cup, CMR vs SRB: 5 observations as thrilling stalement keeps both in pre-quarters race

By Ayush Gupta | First Published Nov 28, 2022, 5:46 PM IST

Qatar World Cup 2022: Cameroon and Serbia engaged in a thrilling meeting on Monday, with both sides settling for a hard-fought 3-3 draw. While both teams remain in the pre-quarters race, here are the five observations from it.

It was another shockingly thrilling match between Cameroon and Serbia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. During their Group G clash at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah on Monday, both teams displayed great agility to settle for a fierce 3-3 draw. It all started with Jean-Charles Castelletto (29) opening things for the Indomitable Lions, followed by the Eagles' comeback, thumping three via Strahinja Pavlovic (45+1), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (45+3) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (53). However, the Cameroonians refused to give up and stunned all with back-to-back goals from Vincent Aboubakar (63) and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (66). As both sides stay in the pre-quarters race, here are the five observations from this engaging contest.

Cameroon showed determination
Cameroon was determined to make an impact right from the start, especially having lost its opener to Switzerland 1-0. Despite having fallen back significantly following its opening goal from Castelletto, it stayed determined and capitalised on a lazy defensive show by the Serbians to pull things back.

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Did Serbia take Cameroon lightly after taking the lead?
Serbia did a commendable job in bouncing back after conceding early. However, following the third goal from Mitrovic, the Eagles switched to a laid-back attitude, especially defensively, allowing the Indomitable Lions to bounce back. Although the Serbians tried to maintain the off-side traps, the Cameroonians countered it smartly.

Serbia's attack a class apart
While Cameroon did well to bounce back, so did Serbia. Meanwhile, considering the latter's comeback into the contest, the attacking line-up of it must be commended, as all the goals happened to be pure class, despite the Indomitable Lions doing good defensively throughout the match.

ALSO READ: QATAR WORLD CUP: CAMEROON GOALKEEPER ONANA DROPPED AGAINST SERBIA FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS - REPORT

Andre Onana's dramatic axe
Before the game began, Cameroon's first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana was dropped from the starting XI. While fans wondered what happened, reports suggested that it was because of a disciplinary reason, as he probably shouted at the team's head coach Rigobert Song.

Devis Epassy could have done better
As Onana's exclusion led to Epassy getting the chance of a lifetime, he was somewhat under pressure, featuring in his first-ever WC tie. Although the Serbians did well in terms of attack amid decent Cameroonian defence, Epassy could have done better in keeping and saved at least the initial two goals scored by the Eagles.

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