Chaos. Two groups which have traditionally been concerned in chaos. A Serbian staff in chaos resulting from damage. A digicam staff was thrown into chaos by the sending off of Internazionale goalkeeper André Onana. The end result was inevitably a match of excessive chaos. However what chaos! It was chaos that produced drama, exceptional targets, an unlikely fightback, a very distinctive end that might be remembered lengthy after the sport is forgotten and, in the long run, an exhilarating tie that did not fairly go well with both aspect.
Nothing that occurred on Monday at Al Janoub was with out problems; not the site visitors, not the protection and positively not the development. In an echo of the Indomitable Lions’ golden age, Onana was kicked out of Cameroon’s squad on the morning of the match, apparently for defying coach Rigobert Music’s instruction to cease passing out from behind. In Cameroon’s opener, a 1-0 loss to Switzerland, Onana had recorded extra touches outdoors the field than some other goalkeeper in World Cup historical past.
“The goalkeeper place is essential and he’s additionally an necessary participant,” Music mentioned. “However we’re in a tough match and I do know what I’ve to do and that’s to make it possible for the staff comes earlier than any particular person. André wished to step out and we accepted that. We had [Devis] Epassy in objective right now and he confirmed that he’s additionally a really competent goalkeeper and a rival to André.”
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Later, nonetheless, Music made it clear that this was not a case the place Onana went voluntarily. “In a staff you need to see self-discipline,” he mentioned. “If you cannot match into that self-discipline, with what it takes to be a part of a squad, then I believe you need to take accountability as a result of the squad is extra necessary than any particular person’s pursuits.
“In the mean time we’re coping with the gamers who need to be a part of the squad and who’re proud to tug on the shirt. I’m like a father to those boys and I’m accountable.”
Cameroon is all too accustomed to this type of drawback. On the opening day of Italia 90, Joseph-Antoine Bell was dropped as punishment for an indiscreet interview – so late that the spouse of his alternative Thomas N’Kono, having gone procuring in Milan as a substitute of watching her husband sit on the bench in opposition to Argentina, found solely that night time that he had performed in Cameroon’s largest victory. Since 1994, at Music’s first World Cup, there have been so many goalkeepers that N’Kono, Bell and third selection, Jacques Songo’o, every performed a recreation within the group stage.
However earlier than all of the chaos, this started with all of the hallmarks of a basic Serbian collapse. After beginning nicely, Aleksandar Mitrovic hitting the put up and hitting one other shot simply vast, they fell behind after 29 minutes, Jean-Charles Castelletto touching in Nicolas Nkoulous’ close to put up. However two first-half targets, the primary a robust header from Strahinja Pavlovic, the second a shot from the sting of the penalty space by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic that spun over Epassy’s hand, turned the sport in Serbia’s favour. And when Mitrovic, after lacking one other likelihood, received his objective, it appeared there is perhaps some fact to the claims that, beneath Dragan Stojkovic, this can be a new, mentally resilient Serbia.
It’s not. Music had been reluctant to subject two strikers however the arrival of Vincent Aboubakar, high scorer at this yr’s Africa Cup of Nations, to associate Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, turned the sport round once more. “We realized they had been very lengthy however tiring,” Aboubakar mentioned. “Once I received on the sector I attempted to make the runs from the final defender they usually had a tough time following me.”
First he ran on to Castelletto’s ball excessive and beat Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, the 6ft 9in Serbia goalkeeper, with an audacious scooped end, a second of exceptional talent paying homage to Karel Poborsky’s objective in opposition to Portugal at Euro 96. Then he led one other counter . down proper, Aboubakar squares for Choupo-Moting to equalise.
Stojkovic, after lamenting accidents, most notably to Dusan Vlahovic and Luka Jovic, which have disrupted his preparations, blamed “two big errors” for letting go of the lead. “It is extremely harmful to push excessive when the opponent has the ball,” he mentioned. “Completely pointless.”
Music, in the meantime, steered that the sending off of Onana had centered minds and galvanized his squad, offering the impetus for a comeback that ended an eight-game shedding streak at World Cups. There was a lot discuss of a draw feeling like a victory, however the fact is {that a} draw makes it tough for both aspect to get by way of, nonetheless optimistic Stojkovic spoke of beating Switzerland in Serbia’s ultimate recreation.
An excellent chaos is finally nonetheless chaos.
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