Cameroon, the only African executioner in Brazil that stopped a historic streak in the World Cup

“I will put a team that is there to win. I am convinced that tomorrow they will see another face of Cameroonian football because we have nothing to lose”, warned Rigobert Song, Cameroon’s coach, a day before the duel against Brazil. And his prediction finally came true: the African team knocked out the five-time world champion unexpectedly in Qatar 2022.

The Brazilian team is, without a doubt, the rival to beat in the current World Cup and that has been very clear to all the teams in their group. In fact, the A team of ‘Scratch’ is terrifying for anyone and its B team, too. However, Cameroon did not shrink at any time and knew how to fight the candidate, something that they have known how to do many years before.

In the 2003 Confederations Cup, led by Samuel Eto’o, the Cameroonians beat the Brazilians 1-0 in their group, becoming the first Africans to topple the five-time champions in an official match.

But not satisfied with that feat, Cameroon managed another, revalidating its status as the only African executioner of the ‘Scratch’ in a World Cup, what was missing. Against all odds, at the close of Group F, Rigobert Song’s team beat him by the slightest difference with a goal from Vincent Aboubakar in discounts.

Unthinkable, fortuitous, surprising… even unreal, but true. With this unimaginable result, ‘The Indomitable Lions’ also put an end to a historic run of the ‘Canarinha’ in the World Cup.

As is known, the Brazilian squad reached the best streak of consecutive games without defeat in group stages in the entire history of the World Cup after their victory last date over Switzerland (1-0): 17 games undefeated.

The last defeat of the ‘Scratch’ in the first round of the World Cup had been in France 98 ‘, when they fell 1-2 against Norway. Now, 24 years later, when they were destined to close their group with a perfect score, the green-yellow team once again savored defeat at the hands of a modest Cameroon.

Unfortunately, this historic victory has not allowed Cameroon to qualify for the round of 16. The result of Serbia vs Switzerland (2-3) did not accompany him this time. Brazil, for its part, continues to be a firm candidate for the title despite the defeat. It has everything it takes to make it.