REVIEW: Croatia v Cameroon – Cameroon Sings Their Final Song

Following their heartbreaking loss, Croatia rebounded with a  4 – 0 victory over the 10-man Cameroon thanks to goals from Ivica Olic, Ivan Perisic, and Mario Mandzukic.

Cameroon jumped off to a great start in the match, forcing Croatia to play to their tempo as Les Lions Indomptables utilized their pace and passing game to attack the box. However, it took 10 minutes for Croatia to cool off any momentum Cameroon had as Ivan Perisic recovered off Aurelian Chedjou’s failed clearance and passed it to a streaking Olic who tapped the ball in for the opening goal.

Olic celebrates after scoring the opening goal

The African side looked for a chance to come back until Alex Song boneheadedly got himself sent off at the 40th minute after elbowing Mario Mandzukic from behind despite being nowhere close to the ball.

Croatia opened up the floodgates three minutes into the second half when Perisic dribbled past Dany Nounkeu and toed in a shot at goal from close range, doubling Croatia’s lead.

As all hope looked lost for Cameroon, Croatia stuck the dagger in Cameroon’s World Cup hopes as Mario Mandzukic emerged from the box to score a header off Danijel Pranic’s corner kick.

Cameroon desperately went on the offensive as they put the Croatian defense on their toes with their persistent run at the box and long distance strikes. However, Croatia answered again when Eduardo’s shot deflected off keeper Charles Itandje and rebounded towards Mandzukic who knocked the ball in for his second goal of the night.

Modric attempts a tackle on Joel Matip

Croatia will play their final group match against Mexico on June 23rd with their survival at stake. Mexico only needs a win or a draw to advance to the round of 16 while Croatia desperately needs a win to advance.

Man of the Match

Croatian fans would bellow Alex Song’s name if asked who was the man of the match since his WWE elbow on Mandzukic opened the door to Croatia’s goal onslaught in the second half, but realistically the honor goes to Ivan Perisic. Despite having a slight window for a shot after receiving Chedjou’s missed clearance, Perisic opted to pass the ball to a bolting Olic who had a chance of finishing the shot. The pass could not have been anymore perfect, leading to the opening goal. He also flashed his speed and technique to beat his defender to score the second goal on his own. With one assist and one goal, Perisic is the man of the match.

"Player RatingsCroatiaPletikosa 6.5- Hardly tested throughout the match, with the exception of blocking Webo’s shot in the 89th minute of the match.Srna 8.0 – Kept Cameroon at bay with his strong defense. He was also a menace in the attacking end and delivered some brilliant crosses.Lovren 7.5 – Made some miscues in the box that could have given Cameroon a chance to score, but lucked out by his opponent’s lack of quality. Still did a solid job maintaining the backline.Corluka 7.5 – LikewiseModric 7.0 – His presence alone made an impact as Cameroon was cautious of his playmaking capabilities. Did not make a major impact on the ball despite some decent passes and shot attempts; however, he did a solid job on the defensive end in breaking up Cameroon’s attack.Rakitic 7.5 – His brilliant set pieces and passes opened up opportune scoring chances for Croatia.Perisic 8.5 – Notched a brilliant assist and scored a goal.Sammir 7.5 – His pace and off-ball movements made the Cameroon defense weary, opening up space for his teammates.Pranjic 6.5 – Look exposed from the right flank due to his lack of pace. He did deliver a marvelous corner kick to Mandzukic though.Olic 8.0 – A physical and surprisingly speedy presence throughout the match, Olic had enough pace and strength to beat out his defender for the first goal of the match.Mandzukic 8.0 – Classic Super Mario performance. Mandzukic showed great attacking prowess and awareness to score his two goals.SubstitutesKovacic 6.5 – Almost had an assist with a brilliant through pass to EduardoEduardo 5.5 – Should have scored a goal off Kovacic’s through ball. Marked down for yellow card.Rebic 7.0 – Simply a menace since making an appearance, breaking the offside traps as he looked to give Croatia their fifth goal.CameroonItandje 5.0 – Must be glad the nightmare is over.Chedjou 5.0 – Look exposed and out of sorts throughout the match. Missed clearance led to opening goal.N’Koulou 5.5 – Defense is a team effort. Unfortunately N’Koulou did not have a team behind him despite his efforts.Assou-Ekotto 5.5 – Lucky to have not been sent off with a card today.Matip 5.0 – Was supposed to be the two-way spark Cameroon desperately needed. Failed to deliver.Song 4.0 – The reason why Cameroon lostM’Bia 5.5 – Did what he can to spark Cameroon’s counter attack, but his team failed to follow up his efforts.Enoh 5.0 – Invisible once againChoupo-Moting 5.0 – Was quiet throughout the matchAboubakar 5.5 – Had some chances but never looked sharp in his attemptsMoukandjo 5.0 – Missed the target several times. Probably in a fight with Assou-Ekotto in the lockerroom as we speak.SubstitutesNounkeu 3.0 – Simply embarassed by Perisic on that second goal.Webo 6.0 – He should have started, given the fact that he had some quality shots on goalSalli 6.0 – Likewise as Webo, Salli should have started."

Tweets (Fight pics) of the Match