Cameroon and Serbia were involved in a topsy-turvy World Cup classic that delivered a bit of everything in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The Indomitable Lions rode their luck in the early exchanges, as Aleksandar Mitrovic spurned a couple of glorious opportunities, but forced a breakthrough just before the half-hour mark when a corner was glanced on for Jean-Charles Castelletto to bundle home at the back post. Cameroon thought they would reach the interval with their noses in front, but a stunning turnaround was completed by Serbia in first-half stoppage time. Stahinja Pavlovic restored parity when getting his head to a clipped free-kick, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic rattled in a low drive from the edge of the box that nestled in the bottom corner. With their tails up, Serbia grabbed a third after the break as some clever build-up play and unselfish passing allowed Mitrovic to grab his first goal of Qatar 2022 as he rolled in from close range. Vincent Aboubakar hauled Cameroon back into the game as he beat the offside trap and VAR to record a looped effort, before teeing up Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to fire in a remarkable equaliser three minutes later.
Aboubakar was only introduced 10 minutes into the second-half, with Cameroon chasing the game at that point as they found themselves two goals behind. The 30-year-old Porto frontman has often been a hero for his country, claiming a Golden Boot at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, and certainly delivered when it mattered most against Serbia. He displayed remarkable composure when registering a goal of his own in a stunning contest, with the fact that he considered himself to be offside probably contributing to a decision that saw him scoop the ball over Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the 63rd minute. Technology ruled him to be on, as it did again moments later as he sprung clear down the right flank and centred for Choupo-Moting to haul the Indomitable Lions level.
