Cameroon battle back to earn point against Serbia in rollercoaster World Cup clash

Africans recover from 3-1 down to force 3-3 draw in Group G match at Al Janoub Stadium

Vincent Aboubakar celebrates after scoring Cameroon's second goal against Serbia during the 3-3 World Cup Group G draw at Al Janoub Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar. Getty

Vincent Aboubakar scores Cameroon's second goal against Serbia. PA

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scores Cameroon's third goal against Serbia. Getty

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting celebrates after scoring Cameroon's third goal against Serbia. Getty

Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates after scoring Serbia's third goal with teammate Strahinja Pavlovic during the World Cup Group G match against Cameroon. Getty

Aleksandar Mitrovic scores Serbia's third goal against Cameroon. Getty

Serbia's Andrija Zivkovic controls the ball against Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting of Cameroon. Getty

Serbia midfielder Sasa Lukic fights for the ball with Cameroon midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. AFP

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic shoots to score Serbia's second goal against Cameroon. AP

Cameroon goalkeeper Devis Epassy punches the ball. AFP

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic celebrates scoring Serbia's second against Cameroon. AFP

Strahinja Pavlovic celebrates scoring Serbia's equaliser against Cameroon. AFP

Jean-Charles Castelletto celebrates after scoring Cameroon's first goal against Serbia. AFP

Cameroon players celebrate their first goal against Serbia. AFP

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa onthe ball against Sasa Lukic. EPA

Cameroon fought back from two goals down to force a thrilling 3-3 Group G draw with Serbia at Al Janoub Stadium on Monday.

Jean-Charles Castelletto had given Cameroon the lead only for Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to turn the game on its head with goals in first-half injury-time.

Serbia went 3-1 up when striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored his first goal of the tournament just after half-time to leave Rigobert Song's team facing a comprehensive defeat.

But the Africans responded in spectacular fashion as substitute Vincent Aboubakar and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting both scored in the space of three minutes just after the hour mark to haul their side level.

The result leave both Cameroon – who lost to Switzerland in their opening group game – and Serbia on a single point, two behind group leaders Brazil and Switzerland who play later on Monday.

Cameroon have a tough task ahead as they play Brazil in their final match, which they look set to play without first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana who was dropped from the match day squad just hours before kick-off following an unspecified disciplinary issue.

Media reports suggest that Onana has been sent home from the World Cup after a disagreement with Song, but that pre-match turmoil didn't stop Cameroon putting in a fighting display against a Serbia team who probably deserved to win on the balance of play.

Mitrovic was almost invisible in Serbia's defeat to Brazil but here he was involved from kick-off, the Fulham forward unlucky not to give Serbia the lead in the 11th minute when he crashed a shot off the post from a tight angle following a neat exchange of passes with Dusan Tadic.

But Mitrovic only had himself to blame for not opening the scoring six minutes later, shanking an awful first-time finish wide when, after a mix up in the Cameroon defence, the ball dropped at his feet with only Onana's replacement Devis Epassy to beat.

And Castelletto punished the Serbs for Mitrovic's miss in the 29th minute with the simplest of finishes after ghosting in at the back post to meet Nicolas Nkoulou's flick-on at a corner.

Pierre Kunde then passed up a golden opportunity to double Cameroon's lead in the 43rd minute when he first shot straight at goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and then smashed the rebound wide.

It was Cameroon's turn to be undone at a set-piece as the half crept into first-half stoppage time when Pavlovic brilliantly headed home Dusan Tadic's floated free-kick.

The Serbs' tails were up and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic flipped the match on its head two minutes later with a superb left-footed finish after Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa sloppily gave the ball away just outside his own penalty area.

Mitrovic finally had the goal his strong display deserved seven minutes after the break, tapping in Andrija Zivkovic's pass unopposed at the end of beautiful move guided by Milinkovic-Savic and Tadic.

The match looked over but from nowhere Cameroon sprung back into life thanks to Aboubakar's odd goal.

The Al Nassr forward raced through on to Castelletto's launched pass over the top and scooped an improbable finish over the Serbia 'keeper, beaming with delight after his goal was awarded following a VAR check.

Aboubakar's pace caused Serbia all kinds of problems and he laid on Choupo-Moting's leveller, bursting down the right and laying on a simple finish for the Bayern Munich forward which sparked wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands.

Neither side could find a winner in an end-to-end finish to the game and their bids to make the knockouts will go down to the final game.