In Match 48 of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Cameroon pulled off a shocking victory over the most successful football team in FIFA World Cup history, Brazil at the Lusail Stadium. The five-time champions were handed a 1-0 defeat out of nowhere after an unexpected winning header by Captain Vincent Aboubakar in the 92nd minute of the match. Though the defeat did nothing to hinder Brazil’s progress in the tournament as they still ended the group stage at the top of Group G and also have qualified for the knockouts, it still was a big blow for the big dogs.
As Cameroon went into the game, they knew that their only hope of making it to the knockouts was if they beat the former world champs and also if Serbia can defeat Switzerland in the other match. Though they did manage to beat Brazil to keep alive their hopes of qualifying, thanks to the last moment Aboubakar magic, Switzerland’s win over Serbia meant Cameroon were unable to close the gap as they finished third in the Group G ranks. For Brazil, they did manage to end their group stage journey on top of the Group G, even though they have the same points as that of Switzerland, owing to a much superior difference.
Brazil entered this match with a massive change in their line-up as manager Tite made nine changes, resting his big boys, making way for fresh talent to run their skills on the field with the knockouts qualification already secured. Though Gabriel Martinelli, Fabinho, and Ederson were still on the list, the comparatively less powerful Brazilian lineup gave Cameroon some hope as they came in looking for a desperate win.
The encounter saw Brazil dominate the majority of the match, making several scoring attempts against a tight and careful Cameroonian defense lineup. Arsenal striker Martinelli threw several shots at the goal, but all of them were well saved by goalkeeper Devis Epassy. Close-range attacks by Eder Militao, Bruno Guimaraes, and Bremer were all blocked by a desperate but surprisingly well coordinated Cameroon defense.
Cameroon also did manage to break through on several occasions, most notably during the first-half injury-time when Bryan Mbeumo tried sending a header into the Brazilian goal, but it was swiftly cleared away by Ederson.
Even though the entire match was mostly one-sided with Brazil dominating their African opponents, surprisingly Cameroon did brilliantly to not concede a single goal throughout the standard 90 minutes of play. 10 minutes of extra time was added, and just 2 minutes in, Vincent Aboubakar managed to score the solitary goal of the match following a sublime cross from the right, heading it past the goalkeeper.
He took off his shirt in celebration and was slapped with a yellow card for it. Since, this was his second yellow card of the match, it automatically converted into a Red card, so he had to walk off the field. The referee eventually called for the final whistle, giving Cameroon a rare and emphatic win over five-times world champions Brazil.
Even though Vincent Aboubakar’s stoppage-time header earned Cameroon a memorable late win over five-time world champions Brazil, it wasn’t enough for the African side to claim a place in the last 16 of the World Cup. Cameroon became the first African team to defeat Brazil in a World Cup match as they bow out of FIFA 2022 with a memorable win over the most successful football team in history!
Brazil will now take on South Korea in their round of 16 encounter while Switzerland, who defeated Serbia earlier in the simultaneous match, will take on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. To follow more such high-octane actions, controversies, news, and updates from the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, stay tuned with 90agency as we bring all the details to your fingertips!