Two Napoli players were in action on Friday: Mathias Olivera and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Kim Min-jae was in the South Korea squad for their match Portugal, but did not feature after aggravating his calf injury on Monday against Ghana.
Snatched Away
Mathias Olivera played the full 90 minutes in Uruguay’s 2-0 victory over Ghana.
The Napoli left back was partly to blame for Uruguay conceding a penalty kick 20 minutes into the match. Olivera pressed high and was caught out of position. He races back to defend, but simultaneously played Andre Ayew onside while leaving Mohammed Kudus unmarked in the area.
Kudus nipped in a fraction of a second before Sergio Rochet and drew a penalty kick for Ghana.
However, Ayew was unable to make it count, with his poorly-struck penalty kick being stopped by Rochet. That proved to be a costly miss, as Uruguay scored twice in the subsequent 11 minutes.
With Portugal tied with South Korea, it appeared as though Uruguay were going to see themselves into the Knockout Stage. However, with five minutes remaining, the scoreboards at the Al Janoub Stadium flashed an update. South Korea had taken the lead, with Hwang Hee-chan completing a spectacular run Son Heung-min.
That left Olivera, Edinson Cavani and co. five minutes plus stoppage time to score an all-important, tiebreaking third goal. Despite best efforts, the goal never came and Olivera’s World Cup run came to an abrupt end.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae watched on as his South Korea squad advanced to the knockout stage, where they will play against Brazil.
Historical Exit
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa played the full 90 minutes in Cameroon’s final match of the Group Stage against Brazil. Anguissa lined up on the right side of the double-pivot in Rigobert Song’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
Though Brazil controlled the run of play, Anguissa seemed to be involved anytime Cameroon ventured forward, including in the buildup to Bryan Mbeumo’s header before the break and Vincent Aboubakar’s turning shot after it.
The Cameroon bench had one eye on the other match in the group, between Serbia and Switzerland, as their fate rested on the outcome of that match.
In yet another dramatic group finale, the live standings shifted as Switzerland and Serbia exchanged goals. To have any chance of advancing, Cameroon had the daunting task of becoming the first African nation in history to defeat Brazil at the World Cup.
After recording the first shot on target against Brazil thus far this tournament, Cameroon did the unimaginable. In the second minute of stoppage time, Vincent Aboubakar headed the match winner past Brazil goalkeeper Ederson.
Unfortunately for the Indomitable Lions, Switzerland defeated Serbia, rendering Cameroon’s victory insufficient. However, Anguissa and his Cameroon team exit the tournament with their heads held high, having earned four points in a very difficult group, and making history in the process.
