"The indomitable lions and a World Cup win for the ages"

Part 3 of a mini-series of readings from my very first self-published book "Diary From the 2022 FIFA World Cup", and in this reading I recount two last minute winning goals, broken footballing hearts and the beautiful sporting madness that is watching Cameroon in the World Cup.

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"In order to qualify from Group G in this final evening of Group games before the knock-out madness of this World Cup begins in earnest tomorrow, the “Indomitable Lions” of Cameroon needed a minor miracle, and even an injury time winner against Brazil and the subsequent sending off of their jubilant goal scoring hero Vincent Aboubakar wasn’t enough. Just a few Qatari miles away, Switzerland and Serbia were exchanging goals in a five goal thriller that ended with a brilliant team goal being scored by Nottingham Forest and Swiss international midfielder Remo Freuler on 48 minutes, and even a dramatic late winning goal against the number one ranked team in the world wasn’t enough for Rigobert Song’s brave Cameroonian lions.

Brazil, already qualified and virtually certain of winning Group G, were much changed and captained by their legendary full back Dani Alves.
I may very well be incredibly biased but I saw a stand out opening 20 minute performance from Liverpool’s Fabinho (but a rather insignificant 2nd half) and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli impressed me as he always does. He’s only 21 years old and although he wears the wrong red coloured jersey in the Premier League, he’s a real superstar in the making. Aside from this, I thought the blue shirted Brazilians were underwhelming and far away from their traditional yellow shirted excellence.

Brazil never seem to be Brazil unless they play in their customary yellow, green and blue!

Rigobert Song’s lions were in their pleasingly customary colours, played a little less chaotically than on previous and past World Cup occasions, and thoroughly deserved their win for the ages. Their winning goal, just minutes into injury time, was as pure a footballing goal as you could wish to see. Substitute Ngom Mbekeli’s whipped running cross is met by goal scorer Vincent Aboubakar with a header ever so slightly behind him but with his run taking him slightly to the left and away from goal, he meets the ball just on the downward from its apex and across Ederson in the Brazil goal.

The Manchester City goalkeeping custodian can only stand and watch helplessly as this beautiful header nestles perfectly into the corner of his net.

Sheer poetry in motion.

As was the celebration and it was oh so beautifully Cameroonian!

Ripping his shirt off in exuberant and unrestrained joy, Aboubakar is mobbed by players and substitutes alike, I’m sure I saw Rigobert Song celebrating wildly on the pitch with one of his players (there was still 5 or 6 injury time minutes left yet!) and then our goal scoring hero shook the referee’s hand before being sent off for a second yellow card for taking off his shirt!"

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