FIFA Confederations Cup 2017: Chile 2-0 Cameroon, 5 Talking Points

3. Cameroon show glimpses of their exciting potential

Christian Bassagog, Vincent Aboubakar, and Benjamin Moukandjo all showed glimpses of their rare, athletic, footballing abilities and they showed remarkable mental strength to gain confidence as the game wore on (they were exceptional in the second half after getting hammered in the first). Hugo Broos will focus on these two major positives in what was at the end a disappointing result.

When they shed their conservative approach in the second half, they almost made Chile pay for all those first-half misses and showcased some fantastic, speedy, wing play – standing toe-to-toe with their far more illustrious opponents and proving that the nickname The Indomitable Lions is not a vestigial remanent of a far more glorious past.

The Cameroonians, though, still have a lot to work on – consistency in approach and a certain level-headedness when in possession of the goal wouldn’t go amiss. They’ll need to improve rapidly now if they are to have any hopes of making the semifinals, but the surprise winners of the Africa Cup of Nations certainly showed they have the potential to do so!

P.S. The inclusion of members who so stupidly rebuffed Broos’ requests to join the national team back in January for the AFCON would definitely have solidified the team and provided them with the professional experience they so sorely seemed to lack (Joel Matip, for example), it is brilliant that Broos doesn’t go to them. They don’t deserve to be in this team that is driven by teamwork and indefatigable spirit more than anything else and no one should wish it be any other way.