National Shame! : Cameroon gets 0 - 4 crushing from Croatia

Players give Cameroon a bad football image

- Assou Ekotto, Moukanjo disgrace Cameroon as Alex Song red-carded

Croatia sent 1-man down Cameroon packing from the Brazil 2014 World Cup with a 4-0 bashing in Manaus on Wednesday (Thursday morning, from 11pm, Wednesday to 1am, Thursday, Cameroon time).
Goals from Ivic Olic, Ivan Perisic and a Mario Mandzukic brace helped the Croatians coast to victory while Cameroon had Alex Song sent off in the first half for a wild punch.
The victory puts Croatia just a point behind Group A leaders Brazil and Mexico, leaving their destiny in their own hands when they face the Aztecs in Recife on Monday.

Croatia were the better side throughout, even before Song's needless dismissal five minutes before half-time.

Olic had popped up in the right place at the right time to tap home from close range on 11 minutes to give Croatia the lead.
Any chance Cameroon had of getting back into the game disintegrated when Song lost his head and thumped Mandzukic in the back right under the referee's nose, earning a straight red card.

Cameroon's Alex Song walks off the pitch after his red card. Photo: Reuters

Cameroon imploded as full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto appeared to headbutt team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo late on.
The second half was all about how many goals Croatia could wrack up as Perisic netted three minutes after the restart.
Mandzukic, who did not play in the opening defeat by hosts Brazil as he was suspended, scored a pair of typical goals for the targetman with a header from a corner and then a tap into an empty net after Cameroon goalkeeper Charles Itandje had spilled a shot from Brazilian-born substitute Eduardo.

Alex Song saw red for a wild elbow. Photo: Screen grab

National Shame!

In injury time, Benoit Assou-Ekotto head-butted teammate Benjamin Moukandjo in front of their own goal, and the two briefly scuffled before the match mercifully ended.

"It's unimaginable. I saw this happen and I need to find out exactly what happened, why exactly these two players exploded," Cameroon coach Volker Finke said of the internal squabble. "I really hate to see that. It's not the image of Cameroon I want to project."

Webo wades in to separate fight between Assou-Ekotto and Moukandjo

Cameroon still has one match left to play at the World Cup, against Brazil on Monday. And although the team can't advance, the Cameroonians could ruin Brazil's chances by beating the hosts.

But without Song, who will be suspended for the match because of his red card, and maybe without Eto'o again, that will be tough.
Eto'o came to Brazil with a right knee injury, but he played in the opening loss to Mexico. He said he felt pain during the match, however, and eventually pulled out of Wednesday's game.
"We have to wait. Today it wasn't possible," Finke said on Eto'o's chances of facing Brazil. "This is a question for the medical department and also for Samuel."
But the bigger problem may be within the squad.
Cameroon arrived late in Brazil after a dispute over World Cup bonus payments. And although Finke and Eto'o repeatedly said the team was united and ready to compete at the highest level, there were those two disturbing incidents at the Arena da Amazonia today.
"I think that this team has shown some things that are not acceptable," Finke said, "and there will be consequences for the players involved, definitely."

With material from : http://tvnz.co.nz and http://www.smh.com.au