Brazil wins World Cup group despite historic 1-0 loss to Cameroon

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Vincent Aboubakar’s powerful header was historic for Cameroon and Africa at the World Cup.

The stoppage-time goal didn’t help Cameroon reach the round of 16 despite the team’s 1-0 win over Brazil’s reserves on Friday. But it handed the five-time champions their first group-stage loss in 24 years, and gave Africa its first win at the tournament against the Seleçao, as Brazil’s national team is known.

Aboubakar was sent off after a second booking for taking off his shirt during his celebration, leading him to miss the final minutes of his team’s big victory.

“I didn’t even realize that this was such a historic victory,” Cameroon coach Rigobert Song said. “We are one of the African countries that played the most World Cups, and now we’ve beaten Brazil.”

Brazil had won its previous seven matches against African opponents at the World Cup.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories

By signing up, you agree to the terms

“We can be proud of what we’ve done tonight,” Cameroon goalkeeper Devis Epassy said. “We worked very hard. Unfortunately, though, we didn’t qualify, and that’s why we are not too happy.”

Brazil, which had already reached the knockout stage after victories over Serbia and Switzerland, still finished first in Group H. It ended with six points, the same as Switzerland, but the South Americans had a better goal difference. Cameroon ended with four points and Serbia had one.

Cameroon just became the first African country to defeat Brazil at a FIFA World Cup ????????????

Catch all the action in our 90' in 90" highlights ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uvpL6pHURB

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 2, 2022

“The loss doesn’t eliminate us, but we have to learn from it,” midfielder Fabinho said. “The objective was to finish first in the group and we did.”

Brazil will face South Korea in the round of 16, while the Swiss will play against Portugal.

It was the 11th straight time Brazil won its World Cup group. It had won 17 straight group games since a 2-1 loss to Norway in 1998 in France. It had lost only one of its last 29 group matches at the tournament.

Cameroon hadn’t won any of its last nine World Cup matches, with eight losses and a draw — against Ireland in its opening game at the 2002 tournament.

Brazilian coach Tite rested nearly all of his regular starters and made 10 changes from the win against Switzerland on Monday.

Brazil was still without the injured Neymar, but the star forward was at Lusail Stadium to watch the match with his teammates.

Both teams created some good scoring chances, but couldn’t capitalize on them until Aboubakar’s winner off a right-flank cross by Jerome Ngom Mbekeli, who had entered the match in the 86th minute.

The Cameroon captain threw his shirt to the ground near the corner flag and waited for his teammates as they rushed toward him. He then left the field after the referee showed him the red card.

Brazil’s Dani Alves, right, heads the ball past Cameroon’s Moumi Ngamaleu during the World Cup group G soccer match between Cameroon and Brazil, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, December 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Brazil finally conceded an attempt on target after not having done so in the first two matches.

Cameroon, which opened with a 1-0 loss to Switzerland, had endured a small crisis after its 3-3 draw with Serbia, with goalkeeper Andre Onana being sent home for disciplinary reasons after a dispute with coach Song.

With his start Friday, the 39-year-old Dani Alves became the oldest Brazilian to play at a World Cup, ahead of 38-year-old central defender Thiago Silva, Brazil’s captain in Qatar. Alves’ last game at a World Cup had been in the round of 16 of the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Neymar joined his teammates at the stadium for the first time since injuring his right ankle in Brazil’s opener against Switzerland.

He wasn’t limping as he got off the team’s bus and even played with the ball as his teammates warmed up. The crowd cheered loudly when the stadium’s big screen showed him singing the national anthem before the match. He later sat in the stands behind the bench, with fans trying to get close and take photos of him.

Brazilian fans also showed their support for soccer great Pelé, who is hospitalized in Sao Paulo with a respiratory infection.

They displayed a banner with the image of Pelé holding a soccer ball behind one of the goals, and opened a large flag with an image of the Brazil great and the words: “Pelé. Get well soon.” One fan in the stands held up a jersey with a photo of Pelé on it.

Brazil left back Alex Telles, who was replacing injured regular starter Alex Sandro, had to be replaced with a right knee injury, as did Gabriel Jesus. Both will undergo tests Saturday.

The tournament in Qatar has been marked by a series of surprise underdog victories, including Tunisia beating France, Saudi Arabia besting Argentina, Morocco defeating Belgium and Japan winning against both Germany and Spain.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.


Football news:

<!DOCTYPE html>
Kane on Tuchel: A wonderful man, full of ideas. Thomas in person says what he thinks
Zarema about Kuziaev's 350,000 euros a year in Le Havre: Translate it into rubles - it's not that little. It is commendable that he left
Aleksandr Mostovoy on Wendel: Two months of walking around in the middle of nowhere and then coming back and dragging the team - that's top level
Sheffield United have bought Euro U21 champion Archer from Aston Villa for £18.5million
Alexander Medvedev on SKA: Without Gazprom, there would be no Zenit titles. There is a winning wave in the city. The next victory in the Gagarin Cup will be in the spring
Smolnikov ended his career at the age of 35. He became the Russian champion three times with Zenit

3:16 At least 16 killed, dozens injured in mass shooting in Maine
2:46 French soccer league suspends player for sharing antisemitic social media post
1:59 Biden and PM discuss freeing hostages held by Hamas, letting foreigners out of Gaza
1:35 ‘Glory to our martyrs’ protected onto building at George Washington University
1:35 ‘Glory to our martyrs’ projected onto building at George Washington University
1:11 Ministry issues ‘protocol for treatment’ of freed captives after press event slammed
0:51 Biden: There’s no going back to pre-war status quo, there must be vision of 2 states
23:23 Cooper Union Jewish students attacked by pro-Palestinian student group
23:23 WATCH: Cooper Union Jewish students attacked by pro-Palestinian student group
22:14 Settlers rampage through Palestinian olive grove, harass activists in West Bank
22:12 Nineteen days since the massacre, Israel has achieved nothing. It’s time to go in
22:10 Israeli and Jewish-owned restaurants in the US are raising money for Hamas victims
22:09 The war with Hamas could threaten Israel’s imports
21:27 6 lightly hurt following rocket barrage from Gaza toward central, southern Israel
21:27 6 lightly hurt in rocket barrage from Gaza toward central, southern Israel
21:15 Irish Wix employee fired for inflammatory posts about Israel-Hamas war
20:51 UN chief doubles down on Hamas remarks, decries ‘misrepresentations’
20:50 Israeli Opera soloists sing ‘Bring Him Home,’ for Gaza captives
20:09 Netanyahu: Following war, everyone will have to answer for failures, ‘including me’
20:09 Netanyahu: After the war, everyone will have to answer for failures, ‘including me’
20:05 Ending weeks of gridlock, Republicans elect Trump ally Mike Johnson as House speaker
19:17 Israel said to delay Gaza invasion to allow US to bolster air defenses in region
19:09 500 Hamas, PIJ terrorists trained for October 7 attack in Iran last month – report
19:04 Danny Vovk, 45: ZAKA diver fended off 20 terrorists before death
18:57 Palestinian arrested in Brussels for talk about planning a suicide bombing
18:50 Noam Slotki, 31, Yishay Slotki, 24: Brothers fought and died together
18:46 Barkat slams Treasury, presents rival emergency aid plan for war-affected businesses
18:41 Sgt. Yarin Peled, 20: Medic who scrawled last request facing death
18:39 Serving up love: Israelis see war as catalyst to matchmake
18:35 Ben Mizrachi, 22: Former IDF medic killed while helping others
17:52 Senate panel okays Biden’s pick for Israel envoy, with final vote likely next week
17:37 NYPD data shows spike in antisemitic attacks during Israel-Hamas war
17:28 Germany seeks to bar antisemites from gaining citizenship amid spike in incidents
17:25 4 עקרונות מפתח לחינוך בעת מלחמה
16:59 Arab Israeli actress freed to house arrest amid alleged Hamas support
15:18 משרד הבריאות: חטופים שישוחררו יטופלו במתחם נפרד בבית החולים
15:18 חטופים שישוחררו יטופלו במתחם נפרד: "לתעד עדויות לפשעי מלחמה"
15:18 מתחם נפרד לטיפול בחטופים הבאים שישוחררו: "לתעד פשעי מלחמה"
15:08 Jordan queen skeptical Israeli children were beheaded by Hamas during onslaught
15:05 Hostage negotiators say pilloried Israeli envoy a nonfactor in talks
14:49 Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen resumes testimony in business fraud lawsuit
14:48 Rights group reports over 100 assaults by settlers on Palestinians since war’s start
13:36 בגלל מחסור במאבטחים: בתי החולים הונחו לגבש כיתות כוננות
13:05 "הקליעים חוררו את הציורים": האמנית זיוה ילין הצילה את עבודותיה מקיבוץ בארי
12:55 "החזרה לשגרה של הילדים האלה היא המשימה הגדולה שלנו כמבוגרים"
12:24 יהיה בסדר? סמוטריץ', תקשיב לרופאים | טור
10:37 השר עמיחי אליהו: "לסגור את התאגיד, הוא מחליש את הרוח"
8:14 מאמר בכתב עת רפואי: "ישראל תקפה את בית החולים בעזה, הכיבוש אשם"
10:18 בואו נדבר על ביטחון: האם ללמוד בבית ספר או בזום?
8:52 אנשי החינוך, אתם המנהיגים האמיתיים שלנו
11:35 Gaza group threatens renewal of border clashes, blaming ‘desecration’ of Temple Mount
11:21 Daily Briefing Oct. 1: How ‘Jewish space missiles’ will soon protect Germany’s skies
10:25 This artist sees romantic realism at the beach, in a hammock and on the street
10:25 Artist sees romantic realism at the beach, in a hammock and on the street
10:15 Dingy carrying foreign nationals’ ID papers, but no people, washes up in Netanya
9:43 סרטן שד בישראל: פחות נשים מאובחנות, יותר נשים מאובחנות בשלב מוקדם
8:53 אישה אושפזה במצב קשה ברמב"ם עקב שתיית אלכוהול מזויף
8:37 Suicide bomber detonates device in Turkish capital, wounding 2 police officers
8:33 Pro-Russia former premier leads leftist party to victory in Slovakia elections
8:15 After 75 years, IDF identifies remains of soldier killed in War of Independence
7:58 After shots fired, kibbutz residents enter nearby Palestinian village
7:32 גילי ניצלה ממפרצת נדירה, המנתח: "כזה דבר לא ראיתי מעולם"
7:24 Explosion heard in Turkish capital, media report
5:59 Palestinian-Italian student, held by Israel for a month, faces court hearing
5:00 מה הקשר בין אהוד אולמרט לרוברט דה נירו?
4:05 כל מה שרצית לדעת על הנקה: התנוחה, התדירות והקשיים | המדריך המלא
3:56 כוננות שפעת: עלייה באשפוזי ילדים בחצי הכדור הדרומי
3:49 Yom Kippur War a needed ‘slap in the face,’ says vet who helped reverse battle’s tide
2:59 NJ megamall to offer gender-segregated swimming on Sukkot for Orthodox clientele
2:11 Is Poland’s government shooting itself in the foot with its cooling stance on Ukraine?
1:29 Threat of shutdown ends as Congress passes temporary funding plan, sends it to Biden
1:18 Jimmy Carter admirers across generations celebrate former president’s 99th birthday
0:58 IDF reportedly strikes Iranian weapons shipment near Damascus
0:13 Haredi MK: Yom Kippur scuffles prove anti-gov’t protesters waging ‘religious war’
22:34 90% of ethnic Armenians flee Karabakh enclave overrun by Azerbaijan army
22:13 Democrat pulls fire alarm in House building amid vote on bill to prevent shutdown
21:35 Last-gasp House drama moves US away from government shutdown
21:20 Dozens arrested in Iran in demonstration commemorating ‘Bloody Friday’ anniversary
20:45 Five dead, five hurt in Illinois collision that leaked toxic substance
20:32 Eritrean man stabbed to death in Netanya, in latest brawl between migrants
20:29 Female prison guards, officials to be questioned over alleged sex scandal
19:32 New York City begins to dry out after record rainfall, intense flooding
19:31 ‘You won’t divide us’: Protesters against overhaul rally for a 39th weekend
18:59 Azerbaijan says serviceman killed by sniper, Armenia denies incident
18:43 Head of think tank behind overhaul push says it was rushed, poorly prepared
18:24 Arab man shot and killed in north, community’s 11th murder this week
16:08 Man stabbed to death in Jerusalem in apparent criminal incident
16:05 Women of the Senate remember Dianne Feinstein as tireless fighter, true friend
15:46 Chicago Sukkot festival reflects on complex history between city’s Blacks and Jews
14:07 Netanyahus set to vacation again at Golan Heights hotel, despite local opposition
13:54 A New York exhibit explores the etrog’s journey around the Jewish world
13:54 Thick-skinned world traveler: NYC exhibit explores the life and times of the etrog
11:04 Musk wades into German political debate over migrant ‘invasion’
10:17 יותר מ-100 אלף איש ברחו לארמניה: "האזרים ישחטו את כולם"
10:15 Thousands expected at 39th week of anti-overhaul demonstrations
10:15 Tens of thousands expected at 39th week of anti-overhaul demonstrations
9:33 Putin marks anniversary of annexation of Ukrainian regions as drones attack
8:41 Jerusalem Latin Patriarch among 21 new cardinals anointed by Pope
6:42 US on brink on government shutdown, funding chaos
5:37 US pro-Palestinian group lauds Second Intifada that ‘renewed flame of resistance’