Switzerland survived a sluggish first half to end up imposing their tactical craft against an effervescent Cameroon. It was precisely Breel Embolo, originally from Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital, who sentenced his native country to surgery after Shaqiri underwent surgery. The Africans, tame after the break, did not find spaces and were grateful for the lack of Swiss aim to avoid a thrashing.
Sharp fang of the ‘dominant lions’, staked in their den waiting for the distraction of their prey. Switzerland opted for prudence and a moderate positional attack, although lacking dynamism and depth. It didn’t take long for mistakes to appear and Cameroon threw on their sprinters against the veteran Yann Sommer. Between Mbeumo and Toko Ekambi they made the Swiss tremble in a quick transition that the former Villarreal sent to the desert in a free position. Seeing themselves below on the scoreboard made Rigobert Song’s team go into depression. And as the end approached, the Africans accepted the defeat and did not even take their heads out of Sommer’s area.
