Cracking comeback: Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting celebrate after Cameroon stun Serbia
(Picture: REUTERS)Cameroon and Serbia played out a World Cup classic in Qatar, with the Indomitable Lions fighting back from two goals down to draw 3-3 at Al Janoub Stadium.
Goals from Strahinja Pavlovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic looked to have put Serbia in control at 3-1, before an astonishing comeback inspired by substitute and Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar, who scored one and created another.
Serbia dominated the first half in Al Wakrah. Mitrovic struck the post inside the opening 10 minutes, after a lovely exchange with Milinkovic-Savic. The Fulham striker then squandered another sight of goal minutes later, dragging wide from close range when he would have expected to hit the target.
Jean-Charles Castelletto then broke the deadlock against the run of play, ghosting in at the back post from a corner to send the Cameroon fans into raptures.
But Serbia turned on the style in added time in the first half, skipper Pavlovic nodding home to level the scores, before Milinkovic-Savic’s strike – not completely cleanly hit and too easily beating stand-in goalkeeper Devis Epassy – transformed the game.
From there, the Eagles looked to be cruising, especially when Mitrovic got his goal after the break, rounding off a flowing Serbia move that cut Cameroon wide open.
There looked to be no way back. But the Indomitable Lions lived up to their nickname after the introduction of Aboubakar from the bench. First he scored an audacious chip to make it 3-2 and then crossed for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting a couple of minutes later, and it was 3-3.
