AL-WAKRAH, Qatar – Switzerland got their World Cup campaign off to the perfect start with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.
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Cameroon had chances to take the lead in the first half, but it was Switzerland who finally broke the deadlock in the 48th minute with Breel Embolo finishing from close range.
Switzerland had some brilliant chances to add to their tally, but were thwarted by some remarkable, last-gasp defending.
With Brazil and Serbia both lying in wait for these teams, it’s Switzerland who will go forward with confidence, while for Cameroon they need two remarkable performances to stand any chance of making the knockouts.
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Rapid Reaction
1. The Cameroon-born striker who ruined Cameroon’s hopes
The breakthrough finally came early in the second half. Xherdan Shaqiri‘s cross found Embolo about eight-yards out and he finished comfortably past goalkeeper Andre Onana. It was Embolo’s first World Cup goal and you imagine one of the best moments of his life, but the celebrations were muted. Instead he raised his hands in apology — a sign of respect.
Embolo was born in Yaounde, Cameroon in 1997, but was raised in Basel. His youth career saw him progress through the ranks to make the FC Basel first team and he played there for two seasons until moving to the Bundesliga.
But his land of birth was a topic in the Swiss camp this week. Captain Granit Xhaka said on the eve of the match the two had spoken about Embolo’s roots, but Xhaka said “he’s calm and he’ll enjoy the match”, adding “hopefully he’ll score.” He did just that.
Before the match, the Cameroon fans were serenading one of their national heroes in Roger Milla, who received a special FIFA award on the pitch. But just over an hour later, they were left to bemoan a striker that got away as Embolo ended up with his own slice of World Cup history.
