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FIFA Confederations Cup: Indomitable Lions Caged

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Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions were unable to reproduce the same form that saw them getting to the final match of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup as they fell 1-3 to Germany at the 2017 edition to crash out at the group stage.

The result meant that the African champions only managed a point out of obtainable nine.

The match marked Joachim Low’s 150th game in charge of Germany and also his 100th victory. Germany therefore topped Group B and will remain in Sochi for semi final clash with Mexico on June 29.

After a goalless first half, highlighted by a superb save from Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Germany eventually found the breakthrough thanks to Kerem Demirbay, who scored his first goal for Germany with a thunderbolt finish 25 yards from goal after captain Julian Draxler played him through with a neat flick.

Cameroon were reduced to ten men in the 64th minute when, after a video assistant referee review, Ernest Mabouka was sent off for a late challenge on Emre Can.

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Werner then gave Germany a two-goal cushion with a diving header, his first goal at senior international level, from Joshua Kimmich’s cross on the right wing.

Vincent Aboubakar found the net with a glancing header with ten minutes remaining, but Werner restored Germany’s two-goal lead, ensuring their first-place position in the group and becoming the first German to score two goals in a single Confederations Cup match with his close-range, accurate finish.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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