Cameroon was held to a 1-1 draw by Panama in their last friendly game in preparations for the World Cup that starts on Sunday.
The encounter that took place at Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium in the United Arab Emirates, saw Rigobert Song’s side open the scoring on the 48th minute when Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting sent a re-bound past Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
The goal was not enough, however, to give Cameroon a much-needed and morale-boosting win heading into their opening Group G match against Switzerland on November 24.
Panama striker Michael Bermudez, who plays for Anderlecht, equalised in the 55th minute, beating veteran goalkeeper Andre Onana with a 18-metre strike, one of Panama’s few chances of the match.
Despite energetic midfield performances from Zambo Anguissa and Swansea’s Olivier Ntcham in the first half, the team struggled to link up with striker Vincent Aboubakar and failed to create chances.
Panama, who did not qualify for the World Cup finals, nearly added a second goal in the 79th minute when Ismail Diaza floated just over the crossbar.
Cameroon are 50th in the FIFA rankings, is one of the lowest-ranked team in the 32-nation tournament.
Their best run in the competition was a quarter-final finish back in 1990, when they won the hearts of fans across the world with their entertaining style of play.
The Indomitable Lions face a tough task to improve on that performance this time around as they were paired with favourites Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland in what will prove to be a tough group.
More to follow
