Danish fightback crushes Cameroon

Veteran winger Dennis Rommedahl inspired Denmark to a thrilling 2-1 victory in Pretoria, claiming one goal and setting up another as Morten Olsen's side dumped Cameroon out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and, in the process, ensured the Netherlands, Group E leaders, a last-16 spot.

Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen made three changes to the side which had lost to Japan, while the Danes were boosted by the return of skipper Jon Dahl Tomasson. Samuel Eto'o was back in a central role up front, having played wide on the right in the opening game, and that switch looked like paying off as early as the fifth minute when Achille Emana teed him up for a low drive which flashed a yard wide.

Denmark, playing in all white, had been largely anonymous in the opening few minutes, with Eto'o and Stephane Mbia prominent in a lively start by Le Guen's side. However, moments after the Cameroon captain had showed his intentions, the Danes fired a reminder that they too were desperate for the win as Rommedahl sprang Cameroon's offside trap and fizzed a shot a yard over.

The west African side were on top, though, in the early stages, no doubt driven on by the deafening chorus of vuvezelas, which only got louder when a lapse in concentration by Christian Poulsen gifted Cameroon a 10th-minute lead. Only days after Daniel Agger's own goal had put them on the path to defeat against the Dutch, Denmark were handing out presents once again, with the blond defender laying Thomas Sorensen's clearance right into the path of the grateful Pierre Webo. He clipped a tidy cross into Eto'o and the Inter Milan striker slid the ball home with ease.

Yet Denmark refused to be shaken in the way they had been against the Netherlands and slowly clawed their way back into the game. Twice Jesper Gronkjaer went close within the space of 60 seconds – first rifling in a shot which was deflected out by Nicolas Nkoulou, then trying his luck with a diving header from the resulting corner. The Danes still had to be alert at the other end of the pitch and Cameroon might have restored their lead but for some less-than-impressive finishing from Emana.

With their inspirational captain Tomasson back on board, and Bendtner clearly benefitting from a few extra days' training, the Danes grew in confidence and their pressure paid off after 33 minutes when Rommedahl set off down the right before firing an inviting ball across the face of goal which Bendtner prodded home with his right foot. The match swung from end to end as the first half reached a a thrilling climax. Rommedahl and Tomasson both tested the Cameroon rearguard, while Eto'o saw his shot clatter the post. Emana then almost finished off a dangerous burst forward, but Sorensen was equal to his chip.

More goals seemed inevitable and Webo, a constant threat, twice went close to edging his side in front as the hour mark approached. He failed to profit, however, and was left to rue his missed opportunities when, just seconds later, the Danes raced down the other end of the pitch and took a crucial lead through Rommedahl, who curled an exquisite left-foot shot past the despairing dive of Hamidou Souleymanou.

There was no let-up from either side as the clock ticked on. Cameroon substitute Mohamadou Idrissou missed a hat-trick of gilt-edged chances, Tomasson's tame effort was easily claimed by Souleymanou, and Emana's right-foot effort was athletically palmed away by Sorensen. Vincent Aboubakar also went close in a frantic finish but the Danes held out for a memorable win in the face of waves of late Cameroon pressure. The Indomitable Lions are out but Denmark march on to a win-or-bust encounter with Japan in Rustenburg on Thursday.

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Honda creates history for Japan

Japan recorded their first FIFA World Cup™ win on foreign soil after Keisuke Honda's 39th-minute strike proved enough to down Cameroon at the Free State Stadium.

Honda's decisive contribution was handsome reward for Japan coach Takeshi Okada's gamble to deploy the CSKA Moscow midfielder in a central attacking role in an attempt to remedy his team's lack of goals. The Japanese, without a clean sheet in their warm-up matches, then frustrated Cameroon at the other end, surviving a late scare when the woodwork denied Stephane Mbia.

With the victory – their first in an opening game – Japan joined the Netherlands on three points at the top of Group E, while Cameroon's second match against Denmark, the day's other losers, assumes do-or-die dimensions.

The match began with a surprise in the Cameroon starting lineup with Mbia asked to fill in at right-back, his usual holding role in the middle going to Joel Matip. It was Cameroon's left-back Benoit Assou who was busier, though, with most of Japan's forward movement coming down their right side through Daisuke Matsui.

The Grenoble-based midfielder was the creator of Honda's winning goal when, after several crosses that came to nothing, he finally got his angles right and swung over a high ball which evaded the Cameroon defenders and fell at the far post to Honda. The CSKA Moscow man needed one touch to control the ball before steering it coolly past Hamidou Souleymanou.

Ironically Honda's strike came just moments after Cameroon had a shooting chance at the other end, when Eric Choupo Moting played a ball back to Enyong Enah but his low effort from the edge of the box went straight at Eiji Kawashima. There had been little end product up to then from the west Africans, despite their greater share of possession.

Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon's captain, had a quiet half, although the couple of occasions he did get on the ball brought the promise something might happen. The constant noise inside the stadium rose several notches when the Inter Milan forward delivered an early scare for Japan's defence after eight minutes, freeing Pierre Webo on the right side of the penalty box but his intended cutback to Choupo Moting was cleared.

Eto'o produced a flash of brilliance shortly after the restart when he span away from three blue shirts by the corner flag and teed up Choupo Moting for a shot that sailed over the far post. Cameroon were pushing Japan back and as night began to fall, and the temperature with it, coach Paul Le Guen looked to increase the pressure by sending on a fourth forward, Achille Emana, in place of Matip in the 63rd minute.

Webo got through but was offside, another Cameroon forward – Mahamadou Idrissou – entered the fray but still Japan absorbed the pressure. Indeed they might have had a second when Makoto Hasebe drew a low save from Souleymanou; substitute Shiniji Okazaki put the follow-up against the post but was offside. At the other end Mbia drove a shot against the crossbar but Japan – eight years to the day since their last FIFA World Cup victory – held on.

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Controversy about sleeveless and one-piece kits

Cameroon used sleeveless PUMA shirts at the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali. FIFA, however, didn't allow Cameroon to use the same kits at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and black sleeves were added to the shirts. The 2004 African Cup of Nations witnessed Cameroon again run into controversy regarding their kits. PUMA had designed a one-piece kit for the Cameroon team which FIFA declared illegal, stating that the kits must have separate shirts and shorts. FIFA then imposed fines on Cameroon and deducted six points from their qualifying campaign. PUMA argued that a two-piece kit is not stated as a requirement in the FIFA laws of the game. PUMA however lost the case in court, and Cameroon were forced to wear two-piece kits, but FIFA subsequently restored the six qualifying points to Cameroon.

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History :Cameroon National Football Team

The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions), is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side; Cameroon has qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times - in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010- more than any other African nation. They were the first African team to reach the quarterfinal of the World Cup, in 1990, losing to England in extra time. They have also won four Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Cameroon played its first match against Somalia in 1960, winning 9–2. They first qualified for theAfrica Cup of Nations in 1970, but were knocked out in the first round. Two years later, as host nation, the Indomitable Lions finished third in the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations. They would not qualify for the competition for another ten years.

Cameroon qualified for its first FIFA World Cup in 1982. With the increase of 16 to 24 teams Cameroon qualified along with Algeria to represent Africa in Spain. Cameroon was drawn into group 1 with Italy, Poland, and Peru. In their first game Cameroon faced Italy and held on to a surprising 1-1 draw. Cameroon held Peru and Poland to 0-0 draws but failed to qualify for the second round.

Two years later Cameroon qualified for the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Côte d'Ivoire. They finished second in their first-round group before beating Algeria on penalties in the semi-final. In the final, Cameroon beat Nigeria 3–1with goals from René N'Djeya, Théophile Abéga and Ernest Ebongué to be crowned champions of Africa for the first time.

Cameroon qualified for the 1990 World Cup by surpassing Nigeria and beating Tunisia in the final round playoff. In the final tournament Cameroon were drawn into group B with Argentina, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Cameroon shocked the world by defeating holders Argentina 1-0 with a goal scored by Omam Biyick (header). Cameroon later defeated Romania 2-1 and lost to the Soviet Union 4-0, becoming the first side to top a World Cup Finals group with a negative goal difference. In the second round Cameroon defeated Colombia 2-1 with Roger Milla scoring two goals in the extra time. In the quarter finals Cameroon faced England. At 25 minutes England's David Platt scored for England. In the second half however Cameroon came back with a 61st minute penalty from Kunde and took the lead with Ekeke at 65 minutes. England however equalized in the 83rd minute with a penalty from Lineker. Lineker made in 3-2 for England with a penalty in the 105th minute. Cameroon had nearly created one of the greatest upsets in the World Cup.

The 1994 World Cup in the USA saw the adjustment of representation for three African teams qualify. Cameroon qualified with Nigeria and Morocco. In the final tournament Cameroon were drawn into group B with Sweden, Brazil, and Russia. After convincing 2-2 draw with Sweden, Cameroon were determined to make an impact. However a 3-0 loss to Brazil and a 6-1 loss to Russia effectively ended their hopes of glory.

The 1998 World Cup in France saw the increase of 24 to 32 teams. Cameroon qualified alongside five African countries. After qualifying as expected, Cameroon were drawn into group B with Italy, Chile, and Austria. Despite drawing with Chile and Austria, a 3-0 defeat to Italy saw Cameroon finish bottom of the group, and they were eliminated as a result. Cameroon notably had three players sent off in the course of the tournament, more than any other team, despite only playing three games out of a possible seven. They also had the highest card count per game of any team, collecting an average of four bookings in each match they played.

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