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Too little, too late Cameroon beats Canada 2-0 as both go home
NIIGATA, Japan (AP) -- The Lions finally roared. But too late. Seeking to salvage the remnants of a tattered ego after being knocked out early from the Confederations Cup, Cameroon beat Canada 2-0 Monday on a strike by Bernard Tchoutang and a penalty kick by Patrick Mboma. Cameroon finally found some of the offensive flair it lacked in losses to Brazil and Japan and manhandled a defense-minded Canadian side. The Canadians looked worn out after pulling off a surprise 0-0 tie Saturday against the No. 2-ranked Brazilians. It was a battle between two big, athletic teams but Cameroon had a silk touch to add to their brawn and dominated possession. Midfielder Salomon Olembe was Cameroon's hero, repeatedly tearing down the left side and launching pinpoint crosses in front of the goal. Holger Osieck's Canadian side had more to play for as it had a sliver of a chance to qualify for the next round. But Cameroon's firepower was too much for the Canadians. "[Olembe] killed us. His speed was tremendous," said Osieck. Cameroon will now go back into World Cup qualifiers. "Our top priority now is our July 1 World Cup qualifier against Togo," said Cameroon coach Pierre Lechantre. "This win gives us a good mental state and we'll have the Cameroon people behind us." Three minutes into the second period, Olembe dribbled into the square from the left side and played a pass through for Bernard Tchoutang, who only needed to tap the ball into the net. In the 81st minute, Canadian defender Carl Fletcher was forced to trip up a charging Olembe inside the square. Patrick Mboma, who had just been sent in as a substitute, converted the penalty, burying his left-foot shot into the lefthand corner of the goal. Canada had a handful of chances in the latter part of the first period due to the good work of Nottingham Forest midfielder Jim Brennan. In the 24th minute Brennan picked up a deflection from outside the square but his shot went wide to left of the post.
In the 44th minute, Brennan broke free on the left flank but his cross intended for forward Carlo Corrazzin was knocked out by a defender. Cameroon introduced Etoo as a substitute in the 53rd minute and Mboma in the 69th -- to the delight of the sparse crowd that remembered his scorching stint in Japan's J-League. In the other Group B match played at the same time in Ibaraki, Japan tied Brazil 0-0. That put Japan on top of Group B, with Brazil qualifying in second place. Cameroon had entered the tournament second only to France as a favorite to lift the Cup. But a loss against Brazil and an upset at the hands of Japan knocked the Olympic Gold medalists out. Frenchman Lechantre took over as Cameroon's interim coach just last month from Jean-Paul Akono, who resigned after a loss to Angola. The leadership vacuum may have hurt Cameroon's concentration. Lechantre said Cameroon could have won all of its Group B qualifiers, and was doomed by unnecessary risk-taking. "Cameroon must keep up its improvisational style. But we need more discipline," said Lechantre. The Canadians had given themselves only a modest chance from the very start of the tournament. They were just looking to rebuild their confidence after being eliminated from World Cup contention. They got something to cheer about on Saturday by stunning Brazil with a scrappily fought 0-0 draw. However, they couldn't keep up the momentum against a Cameroon desperate to save face. In Thursday's semifinals, Japan will play Australia at Yokohama, and Brazil takes on France at Suwon, South Korea. Lineups: Cameroon: Jacques Songoo, Pius Ndiefi, Rigobert Song, Raymond Kalla, Pierre Njanka, Geremi Njitap, Bernard Tchoutang (Patrick Mboma 69), Joel Epalle, (Samuel Etoo, 53), Salomon Olembe, Nicolas Alnoudji, Marc Vivien Foe (Pierre Wome (69). Canada: Craig Forrest, Carlo Corazzin (Paul Peschisolido, 75), Tony Menezes, Jason DeVos, Jason Bent, Paul Stalteri, Nick Dasovic, Daniel Imhof, Jim Brennan, Garret Kusch, Carl Fletcher.
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