Cameroon 1-0 Brazil: Player ratings as Selecao keep top spot despite defeat
By Tom Gott
Brazil fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat against Cameroon on Friday but still secured top spot in Group G.
Tite's men were on top for most of the game but a late header from Vincent Aboubakar sealed Brazil's first defeat of the winter. Thankfully, it ultimately meant nothing as Switzerland failed to make up the goal difference in their win over Serbia.
Brazil's first real chance came from Gabriel Martinelli, who rose highest to meet a cross with an excellent header that drew a fantastic save from goalkeeper Devis Epassy.
Fred then acrobatically fired over the bar in a first half that was bereft of real chances but completely dominated by Brazil up until the dying moments, when Bryan Mbeumo's header was excellently clawed away by Ederson - the first attempt on goal Brazil have conceded at the entire tournament.
The second half began with another glimpse of goal for Cameroon. This time, Aboubakar found an inch of space and fired on the turn, but his effort ultimately went wide of Ederson's post.
Straight down the other end, a bit of penalty box pinball gave Gabriel Jesus a half-sight of goal, but the Arsenal striker couldn't get enough on his stretching effort to pose any real threat.
Gabriel Martinelli also had a nice curling effort saved by Epassy, who was then called on to keep out Eder Militao from a corner, with the second half providing more entertainment inside ten minutes than the entire first half offered up.
Things inevitably cooled down before substitute Olivier Ntcham's low drive from range stung the gloves of Ederson inside the final 15 minutes.
Bruno Guimaraes thought he was going to win it late on as he got to Raphinha's low cross on the six-yard line, but young Christopher Wooh threw himself at the shot to save his side.
In stoppage time, Cameroon popped up with a shock winner as Aboubakar headed past Ederson and received his second yellow card for celebrating wildly. Unfortunately, Switzerland's victory over Serbia meant it counted for nothing as the African side had to settle for third place.
Brazil should have equalised in the dying embers through Bruno Guimaraes, who couldn't control his volley and ended up ballooning his effort from just a few yards out.
Cameroon player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Devis Epassy - 7/10 - Looked nervy on more than one occasion but did everything he needed to do. Fair play.
RB: Collins Fai - 6/10 - Really wild in the first half but played the second with immense discipline.
CB: Enzo Ebosse - 8/10 - A left-back playing central, Ebosse looked pretty comfortable as he prevented Brazil from getting too many clear sights of goal. A crunching challenge on Antony in the second half.
CB: Christopher Wooh - 8/10 - Yet another gem from the Rennes setup, Wooh seemed at ease against elite opposition. Keep an eye on the 21-year-old.
LB: Nouhou Tolo - 6/10 - Like Fai on the other side, calmed himself down in the second half for an all-hands-on-deck performance.
DM: Pierre Kunde - 5/10 - Seemed to be a step behind the Brazil midfield. Booked in his attempts to catch up.
DM: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa - 7/10 - A dominant force centrally as he forced Brazil to look out wide for a route to goal.
RM: Bryan Mbeumo - 5/10 - Couldn't really get involved and will be frustrated not to have done more from his header.
AM: Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting - 5/10 - An occasional threat but most of the game was played in Cameroon's half.
LM: Nicolas Ngamaleu - 6/10 - Uninvolved in attack but his selfless work on the defensive end was key to trying to stop Antony.
ST: Vincent Aboubakar - 6/10 - Hardly touched the ball in the first half but did try to put himself about after the break. A great late goal which he got himself sent off for in the process. Busy.
Substitutes
Karl Toko Ekambi (64' for Mbeumo) - 5/10 - A little quiet apart from one moment in which he absolutely destroyed Alves.
Olivier Ntcham (68' for Kunde) - 6/10 - Involved a fair bit after his introduction.
Jerome Mbekeli (86' for Ngamaleu) - 7/10 - Not on for long but made the difference with a gorgeous cross for Aboubakar's winner.
Manager
Rigobert Song - 7/10 - Took some risks with his team selection that definitely paid off. Ensured Cameroon held their own against perhaps the best side at the tournament.
Brazil player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Looked good on camera as he saved from Mbeumo in an otherwise quiet outing.
RB: Dani Alves - 4/10 - The oldest Brazilian in World Cup history looked like the oldest Brazilian in World Cup history. The legs aren't what they once were.
CB: Eder Militao - 6/10 - Did a cool guy stunt to get back up off the floor on one of the rare occasions that he was involved.
CB: Bremer - 6/10 - Solid defensively but probably a little too safe when it came to passing. Max Allegri would be proud of the Juve man.
LB: Alex Telles - 5/10 - Not great at the back and didn't do enough in attack to help Martinelli get through on goal. Went off injured early in the second half.
DM: Fabinho - 5/10 - Given a rare chance to prove he's better than Casemiro, Fabinho played far too safe. His backwards passing didn't do much for anyone.
DM: Fred - 6/10 - Got forwards nicely and was involved in most of Brazil's best moments, including a nice cross for Martinelli in the opening stages.
RM: Antony - 6/10 - A few nice moments and a few really sloppy ones. Involved in a lot of chances but didn't always make the most of things.
AM: Rodrygo - 7/10 - Enjoyed the central role in which he has been playing at club level. Roamed around the attacking line with total freedom and caused nightmares for the defenders.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli - 7/10 - Brazil's biggest threat. A constant menace down the left wing and unfortunate not to have scored once or twice.
ST: Gabriel Jesus - 5/10 - Couldn't get involved really. Cameroon's defenders did well to mark him out of the game.
Substitutes
Bruno Guimaraes (55' for Fred) - 6/10 - Good moments and bad moments. Not as impactful as his last outing.
Marquinhos (55' for Telles) - 7/10 - Some chaotic fun at left-back. Uncomfortable down the left wing but still made it work.
Everton Ribeiro (55' for Rodrygo) - 5/10 - Offered very little compared to those around him.
Pedro (64' for Jesus) - 5/10 - Equally as quiet as Jesus.
Raphinha (79' for Antony) - 6/10 - A lively cameo.
Manager
Tite - 6/10 - Rested his biggest names wisely but will still be frustrated not to have found a way through Cameroon. Could have brought on more firepower if he really wanted to but had plenty of good reasons not to.