Three Napoli players were in action on Monday: André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kim Min-jae and Mathias Olivera.
Tough Match But Still Alive
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa played 81 minutes in Cameroon’s dramatic 3-3 draw to Serbia.
Cameroon opened the scoring in the 29th minute, against the run of play, before conceding twice in stoppage time of the first half.
Anguissa was partly at fault on both goals. On the first, Strahinja Pavlović got goal-side on the midfielder to head the equalizer into the top corner.
On the second, Anguissa was too casual on the ball, conceding possession outside the Cameroon area. Two passes later, Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić slotted a left-footed strike into the bottom corner.
A loss would have mathematically eliminated Cameroon from the tournament, but substitute Vincent Aboubakar saved the day. After Aleksandar Mitrović doubled Serbia’s lead in the second half, Aboubakar scored one of the goals of the tournament. The captain of Cameroon’s African Cup of Nations squad lobbed goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić to make the score 3-2.
Three minutes later, Aboubakar broke free on the right wing before squaring the ball to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – his replacement in Rigobert Song’s preferred starting XI – to tap in the equalizer.
With the draw, Cameroon’s hopes of advancing to the Knockout Stage remain alive. To do so, the Indomitable Lions will need to beat Brazil, who have already secured their place in the Knockout Stage, and they will need help from the match between Switzerland and Serbia.
Playing In Pain
Kim Min-jae played 90 minutes in South Korea’s entertaining 2-3 defeat to Ghana.
Kim was doubtful to start the match after suffering a calf injury in South Korea’s opening match against Uruguay. However, he was given the all-clear after passing a fitness test on Monday morning.
Early in the match, the injury did not seem to be an issue. The central defender outran the opposition with the same, frightening pace he always does, frustrating Ghana striker Inaki Williams.
Kim was unlucky on Ghana’s opening goal, midway through the first half. The Napoli defender was first to Jordan Ayew’s free kick, but Kim’s headed clearance took a couple of unlucky bounces before falling to Mohammed Salisu in front of the goal.
Moments before the hour mark, Kim collided with Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew and appeared to take a knock on the same leg where he sustained the injury. Kim stayed down for several minutes before opting to stay in the match.
Though he was visibly in pain, Kim managed to play until the second minute of stoppage time, when he was replaced by Gamba Osaka defender Kwon Kyung-won.
Despite the loss, South Korea could still advance to the Knockout Stage. To do so, they will need to beat Portugal, who have already secured their place in the Knockout Stage, and they will need help from the match between Ghana and Uruguay.
Down But Not Out
Mathias Olivera played 86 minutes in Uruguay’s 2-0 defeat to Portugal.
As usual, Olivera bombed forward on the left wing, hoping to support the Uruguay attack, while remaining very solid when defending at the back.
The Napoli left back appeared to lose Cristiano Ronaldo on the opening goal of the match. However, the goal was officially given to Bruno Fernandes, indicating that Ronaldo did not make contact.
Nevertheless, had Guillermo Valera pushed up on the far side of the pitch, Ronaldo would have been ruled offside for interfering with the play, regardless of whether he made contact with the ball.
Aside from an unnecessary yellow card in the first half, Olivera did not have many noteworthy moments in the match.
Despite the loss, Uruguay can still advance to the Knockout Stage with a win over Ghana in the final round, combined with help from the match between Portugal and South Korea.
With Portugal having already secured their place in the Knockout Stage, at least one of Kim and Olivera, if not both, will return to Napoli, at the end of the Group Stage.
