Sep 23, 2000 (9 am GMT)

Cameroon - Chile 2:1 (final)

Before:
Cameroon with another open match in front of them. Chile has impressed by the scorelines and Zamorano has proved that there is still a difference between Under 23 and a tactically experienced and physically impressive adult striker. But Cameroon are physically and tactically strong themselves and will have a better chance to fight against the Chile counter play than Nigeria.

1st half:
-Chile is off for a quick start in front of a crowd which includes a broad suzpport from a big Chileanean expatriate group, the Cameroonian keeper has already had his hands on the ball. It is the young Kameni from the Brazil match.
-('10) Cameroon has more control of the game now, makes some nice combinations and threatens with a free kick rocket (Mboma?) from more than 30 meters that goes wide
-('13) first yellow card against Cameroon, #17 Branco, for a late challenge
-Cameroon has to play against the Chilean wall with patience but it looks as if they have and like they might penetrate it soomner or later. Chile waits for counter opportunities, yet mostly stopped by the Cameroonian offside trap
-('17) yellow card for Chile, #11 Navia
-('20) first big opportunity for Cameroon, after a long cross from right to left and a mispositioning by a Chilean defender Eto'o? tries to accurately shove the ball into the net but the attempt goes clearly wide
-('24) big luck for Cameroon, the situation for which Chile waited: the offside trap does not stop an attack along the left hand side and suddenly two Chileans are through. A side pass to the all alone Zamorano but he does not shoot quick enouggh so that the keeper and a defender that has come running can throw themselves into his attempt and deflect it for a corner
-('27) Cameroon: Branco makes another foul and gets a severe warning by the referee: one more and he will have to go
-('32) Cameroon: A very quick yellow card against Eto'o for arguing against a decision
-('34) Contreras stops Mboma by a foul, Eto'o, still angry argues again, Contreras gets the yellow card, and the free kick is no problem for the keeper
-('40) Cameroon survive another huge scare as the offside trap fails again and Chile come running with three players towards keeper Kameni who stops the shot from half right by a great save

halftime 0:0
Chile with their concrete and counter tactics still have had the better opportunities although Cameroon with a good match has come close to have scoring opportunities. Cameroon is the first team to have held Zamorano-Chile to zero first half goals (in the rather meaningless Korea match he did not play because of injury)

2nd half:
-both Cameroonians who have to be very careful now, Eto'o and Branco, are still in the match, have not been replaced
-('48) Cameroon almost played themselves through but Eto'o's shot is deflected for a corner
-both teams with a half chance in the following minutes, the match is more played in both halfs now, Chile more attacking
-('58) Zamorano shoots across the bar
-(''62) Zamorano with a dangerous low shot, and Kameni with a great save
-('65) Lauren Etame Meyer wins the ball and Mboma fires immediately from 25 meters, the keeper saves the ball bounces loose but the second attempt by Eto'o goes across the bar
-('65) Cameroon: Epalle comees in for Mbami
-crosses and corners do not do much harm against Chile
-('70) Cameroon have a problem here: unlike the Brazil game the offside interpretation by the assistant referees is attack friendly. Three players are offside, a fourth gets the ball and suddenly four Chilean players are running towards the Cameroon goal. The cross is just a little inaccurate so that the header goes wide
-('71) another opportunity for Chile, a shot goes wide
-('73) Cameroon lose the ball in build up what leads to another fast attack by Chile and a big opportunity set up by Zamorano, but Navia? hits the ball across the bar from close range
-('77) unbelievable: again the offside trap is moved out  by the same trick: this time it is four against the keeper instead of a side pass, a player makes it alone - again Kameni saves 
-('78) an error in the Cameroonian defence, now Gonzales runs alone towards Kumani - he saves again, the ball bounces back against the body of a defender and back again into the corner of the net - 0:1
-('79) good save by the Chilean keeper against a sharp distance shot, he deflects it for a corner
-pressure by Cameroon now
-('84) after a corner Chile does not get the ball away, Mboma fires the loose ball into the goal - 1:1
-('88) Mboma with a great run, he deceives a defender about his next move, the defender sildes in and fouls him inside the penalty area - penalty
-('89) Lauren Etame Mayer scores - 2:1
-('injury time) Cameroon still play the risky offside game, but also they look for the deciding goal playing man against man in defence
-they win

final result 2:1
Chile had become stronger and stronger in the second half. The Cameroonian defence had made the tactical mistake still to go for offside although Chile started to create more and more chances out of these situations. The Cameroonian defence got more and more nervous and had to thank their goalkeeper that the goal came that late.
But it came early enough to turn the match around: suddenly Cameroon became strong and almost irresistable in attack while Chile were trying to maintain the scoreline. Mboma was the key player when he won a header against Zamorano, the ball bounced loose and he converted it for the equalizer. Then he made a great solorun and forcing the foul for the penalty which decided the match.