Cameroon show shades of green at the Lusail Stadium to shock Brazil in FIFA World Cup
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Aboubakar in the FIFA World Cup
“Another one bites the dust..” It was hard not to think of these lines from a famous Queen song on Friday night as Cameroon played football which was unconventional and rough, yet effective, as they rocked Brazil 1-0 in their concluding league match of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Lusail Stadium, where all the drama unfolded, was a party zone last night, depending on which team you owed allegiance to. One has seen plenty of upset results in this edition of the World Cup, with some heavyweight teams falling by the wayside. As if the South Korean victory dance was not enough on Friday, a day when the Arab world spends most of its time in prayers and rest, football did not get a break.
First things first, South Korea squeezing into the last 16 was gigantic, which, in the process, meant, a disaster for Uruguay. Images of Uruguay captain Luis Suarez weeping, yes the same man who has a history of biting players on the football field, made for sad viewing. Suarez has a fan following and an equal number of people who abhor him for his despicable behavior on the field. To pack bags from the first stage itself was numbing. That’s the sport, you win some, you lose some. Worse, when you are supposed to do well and flop, reality hits you hard. Like a punch in the solar plexus. Few will shed tears for the Uruguay team in the Western World and Asia as the Qatar football festival has become synonymous with upsets and roller-coaster rides.
Back to Lusail Stadium, it has become notoriously famous like Court No.2 at Wimbledon. Out there, in the lush green and well-manicured lawns of SW 19 on the outskirts of London, they call it The Championships. Wimbledon is the name of the suburb. Each summer, just as fans gorge on strawberries and cram, drink Pimms and champagne and all exotic wines, Court 2 is also called the graveyard at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Over the decades, the first week at the season’s third Grand Slam tournament has seen seeds being blown away on Court 2.
Somewhere down the lane, the Lusail Stadium will be remembered for producing shocking results. First, Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia here at the same venue. Then, people started getting suspicious that this venue was jinxed. Jinx, was for Brazil against Cameroon, an African side that stepped up to play in an unpredictable style. They were rough, they may not have great pattern formation, and so on. Yet, when it came to troubling Brazil, the Men in Green were full of energy and verve.
Aboubakar does the star turn as he scores a goal in the FIFA World Cup and is then set off for stripping his jersey!
The refs on the field had a field day, they had to control proceedings that were far from prosaic. One man answering to the name of Vincent Aboubakar, 30, did Cameroon proud. He was rough and tough, literally. Yet, when it came to sheer opportunism and grabbing the chance, he pumped in a header to put Cameroon up. The decibel levels in the stadium were crazy. Aboubakar became a hero. Like Sourav Ganguly took off his T-shirt at The Lord’s, the Cameroon maverick star took off his jersey, got a second yellow card, which became red, and was sent off the field.
Heck, who cared? Aboubakar, who plays in the pro league in Saudi Arabia, was well-versed in how to play football which hurts. These guys from Central Africa make headlines rarely in daily football, be it at clubs in Europe or elsewhere. When he had to leave the field, his upper body and midriff muscles depicted a picture of daily worship at workouts and gyms. Yes, Aboubakar’s picture had gone viral.
If his bare chest picture was one of unadulterated joy and feeding on the ambiance of the great stage, Brazil was in mourning. As it were, Neymar was out rendered horse de combat by an ankle injury. The loss was not going to hurt Brazil as they had already qualified. Yet, the ghosts of Lusail Stadium haunted them, that they were beatable in this World Cup and the favorite tag is a liability.
Cameroon supporters were ecstatic and they had every right to celebrate. These guys do not get to celebrate every other day. Oh, yes, they had given the same shock treatment to Argentina in the 1990 World Cup, winning, again by a 1-0 margin. At that time, Argentina, under Diego Maradona, was the defending champions. Francois Omam-Biyik was the goal scorer then. For Argentina to have lost was so yeeks!
Also Read: 2022 FIFA World Cup Argentina v Australia: Live Stream, Match Timings, and Preview
It’s shameful for Brazil as well as they think predictors are giving them a chance of winning the trophy this time. After what happened on Friday night, one thing is certain, any team which plays football, not in a conventional formation and with more adrenaline flow will be dangerous. Wondering what more will happen at the Lusail Stadium, is it?
Also Read: 2022 FIFA World Cup Netherlands v USA: Live Stream, Match Timings, and Preview
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)