Cameroon is first African team to beat Brazil at World Cup

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Cameroon coach Rigobert Tune got here full circle on a memorable and bittersweet night time for African soccer.

Jerome Ngom Mbekeli, the one member of Cameroon’s workforce who performs for a Cameroonian membership, made an inspiring run and cross to arrange Vincent Aboubakar’s header and stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 victory to make the Indomitable Lions the primary African nation to beat Brazil at a World Cup.

Regardless of the victory on Friday, Cameroon completed third in its group and was eradicated.

The 24-year-old Ngom Mbekeli was Cameroon’s last substitution, approaching 4 minutes from time. Tune credited his personal former coach, Henri Michel, for giving him a chance in 1994 when he performed for native membership Tonnerre Yaoundé as he was making his World Cup debut.

“You’ll want to belief youth,” Tune stated via a translator. “Henri Michel gave me a chance. He noticed the potential in me. Now I’m the coach and I see potential in my younger gamers.

“I knew (Ngom Mbekeli) was a very good, high quality participant. He simply wanted a chance to indicate that. Hopefully his efficiency can encourage different native gamers.”

Goalkeeper Devis Epassy — thrust into motion after standard starter Andre Onana was despatched house for disciplinary causes after a dispute with Tune earlier than Cameroon’s earlier sport — earned participant of the match honors for a sequence of adverse saves.

“Nobody knew me — even in Cameroon — till I began taking part in for the nationwide workforce a 12 months in the past,” Epassy stated via a translator. “We could be pleased with what we’ve accomplished tonight. We confirmed that we can be a high workforce.”

Each Epassy and Aboubakar play for golf equipment in Saudi Arabia.

With eight objectives in seven video games, the 22-year-old Aboubakar was the highest scorer on the African Cup of Nations in January.

Tune and Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon’s soccer federation president, are instilling a strict self-discipline coverage modeled after the European golf equipment that they as soon as performed for — Tune as a dependable defender and Eto’o as a standout striker.

“That’s the place we let ourselves down previously,” Tune stated. “Maybe we didn’t do every part proper, so we’re specializing in self-discipline.

“The workforce at all times must take precedent over people. While you play for the nationwide workforce you have to do what’s anticipated of you.”

Whereas Brazil had already superior and used largely reserves, Cameroon nonetheless turned the primary workforce to beat the five-time champion within the World Cup group stage since Norway did it on the 1998 match in France — ending an unbeaten run of 17 group matches.

“We understand now that we might have accomplished higher,” Tune stated. “However we’re a younger workforce and at present we’ve seen a younger workforce getting stronger and stronger, and they need to be congratulated on their efficiency.

“It’s an actual disgrace that we’ve to go house now,” Tune added. “However we’re going to preserve working and preserve bettering.”

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Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf

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AP World Cup protection: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports