1-0, Wang Shanshan 12'.
Wang Shanshan's 12th minute strike, albeit from a questionable corner, gave China the only goal they needed to see off a lively but far from clinical Cameroonian side in the last 16.
Cameroon had countless chances, but simply could not find the goal-scoring touch they demonstrated in the group stages as they bowed out of their debut World Cup campaign.
This fixture was certainly one of the most unpredictable of the last 16 ties, with two surprise packages facing off in Edmonton, both having come through as runners-up from their respective groups.
It was expected to be a game that saw fire fight fire, both teams having much stronger attacks then defences, and would surely be a lively encounter as a result.
China came into the game off the back of a 2-2 draw with New Zealand, whilst Cameroon carried a little more momentum following a 2-1 win over Switzerland, who were favourites to progress ahead of them from Group C with Japan.
Despite the previous results, it was in fact Cameroon who made alterations to their last team, whilst China fielded an unchanged line-up, setting up in the same 4-2-3-1 formation as usual. The African nation made both changes in personnel as well as tactical adaptions, firstly bringing in Yvonne Leuko for Augustine Ejangue and Madeleine Ngono Manu for Ajara Nchout.
The former switch saw Claudine Meffometou Tcheno swap left-back for right-back, with Leuko operating on the left instead. The formation changed ever so slightly too, from a 4-2-3-1, which China deployed, to a more offensive 4-2-1-3, pushing the pace and energy of Gabrielle Onguene and Gaelle Enganamouit further up in a front three, two players I highlighted in my preview as key players for the Cameroonians.
The introduction of Ngono Manu meant Enganamouit would be playing a wider role, deployed on the left of a front three whilst the former played through the middle of it. However, it was a flexible set up that meant the front three could drift back at times, leaving a lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but the initial formation certainly emphasised attacking football and showed that the African nation were really going to go for it today.
Five players in the starting elevens for the two teams, combined, were on yellow cards prior to kick-off, meaning another booking today would result in them missing the next match, if their team was to be victorious. Liu Shanshan was the only woman walking a tightrope in China's team, whilst Cameroon had four players needing to be disciplined in Raissa Feudjio, Jeannette Yango, Enganamouit and Meffometou Tcheno.
The latter and Liu would be particularly worried, with them being defenders and more likely to be in a situation that could result in a booking, and the coaches would surely make their players aware of this, ensuring they ran at these players as they would not want to put a foot in and risk a yellow card, meaning Cameroon's right flank and China's left could be possible weaknesses during the game.
Yango and Feudjio would also have to be particularly careful, given that they were the two deep midfielders protecting their team's backline and sure to be battling hard in the middle.
As aforementioned, neither team have a really strong defence, and China's was almost exposed within 20 seconds of the game kicking off as Liu gave the ball away in her own box, but Ngono Mani could only fire over the bar from about 15 yards out.
It was the African nation who started more brightly, Onguene causing problems with her pace and Enganamouit willing to having a pop at goal as soon as she got a sight of it. China did see a good amount of the ball in the early stages, but they were not doing as much with it as their opponents were.
The referee was having a decent game from the off too, managing to keep the encounter calm and controlled, despite a few late challenges inside the first 10 minutes, without getting card-happy in the process.
However, a dubious decision from the officials led to the first goal of the game as China were awarded a corner, though the final touch came from one of their own players. The delivery was deep, over the head of the leaping Enganamouit, and aimed at Li Dongna, who had snuck in at the back post. She brought the ball down brilliantly before squaring it to tee up Wang Shanshan, who finished with the inside of her foot on the side volley from less than 10 yards, giving her side an early lead with just 12 minutes on the clock. Still, the African nation could not complain too much, as they defended the set piece so poorly, half-heartedly going for a zonal strategy that meant they did not track Li or manage to mark the eventual goal-scorer. The initial decision to award the set play may have been questionable, but there was plenty they could have done to prevent the goal after that.
Despite being under the cosh slightly now as China pushed for a second goal, Cameroon countered in the 20th minute and came close to equalising. Enganamouit slipped Onguene in down the right and continued her own run into the box, her teammate aiming to pick her out with a low cross in, but just seeing the ball miss the forward as she came in looking to strike it goalwards first time.
A free-kick opportunity for Enganamouit presented itself moments later, her strike hitting the wall but falling nicely for Onguene to square into the box, but she opted to shoot first time from an angle, hitting the side-netting in the process.
Whilst Cameroon pushed on hoping to get a goal of their own though, they left themselves exposed at the back. Their defence were playing a risky, high line, and failing to put pressure on China's midfielders too, who had plenty of time to look up and pick a pass, as a result.
Fortunately, they went unpunished as half time slowly but surely started to near, Francine Zouga having a strike at goal from range that Wang Fei gathered, whislst Enganamouit almost managed to pick out Onguene, but saw a defender intercept and clear instead.
China were certainly happy to sit back and play on the counter, allowing Cameroon to dictate play and knock the ball rather easily with some lovely one and two touch work, especially in midfield. This forced the Asian nation into a change with less than 40 minutes on the clock though, Wang Shuang replacing coming on for Jiali Tang as China removed their most creative player in favour of more fight in the middle.
This was a huge risk as, if Cameroon were to equalise, China would have to create something of note to regain the lead and would need a player like Tang on the pitch to help them do this. The substitute saw the team change to a 4-5-1 set up for the remaining five minutes of the half, with the manager perhaps eyeing up a tactical reshuffle when the break came.
They almost headed into the interval two goals up too, Wang Shanshan rising to meet a lovely cross in from the left, but just seeing the ball evade her touch at the last minute before the referee blew for half time.
Cameroon would certainly head into the break with plenty of positives to discuss. They were on top at the moment, overrunning China in every department going forward and had created a great numbers of decent opportunities, with plenty more surely to come. They needed to improve their finishing and decision making in the final third if they wanted to equalise though, and watch their line at the back to ensure China did not increase their advantage.
China, on the other hand, really needed to regroup. Despite leading, they were far from the better team and needed to change things around if they were to win this game. Their defending had been reasonably solid, limiting Cameroon to very few big chances, but the problem was in midfield, where their opponents were simply walking through them to get into the final third.
This was the route of the problem and, whilst Wang Shuang had been introduced to try and treat the issue, the team needed a proper discussion about this to really thwart Cameroon, and thus were expected to come out in the second half with a game plan that saw them battle much better in midfield.
However, they would have to bare in mind that Cameroon have proven themselves this summer as a team who come out in the second half, scoring six of their nine goals after half time so far.
China did get off to a positive start as substitute Wang Shuang tried to thread a through ball in to Wang Shanshan within the first few moments, which was a good sign. They had a great chance in the first five minutes too, Wang Lisi arriving at the back post to latch onto Wang Shuang's deep cross, but the leap of left-back Leuko perhaps distracted her from the ball as she misjudged her finish and put it well wide of the mark.
Nonetheless, we soon returned to the norm of the first half as Cameroon settled on the ball and began to ask China all the questions. The latter looked lively on the counter at times though and when
Han Peng put Wang Shanshan through on goal with a golden opportunity, one cannot be the only person who expected to see the back of the net bulge and the team in white double their lead. However, good pressure from Aurelle Awona saw her drag her shot well wide of the target, with her reaction telling everyone she knew just how big a chance it was and how immediately rueful she was to have missed it.
Cameroon had a decent effort at goal moments later down the other end as Enganagouit headed just a yard or so wide, but it was her header a minute later that came even closer to leveling as she bravely went up with Wang Fei to challenge for the ball, but saw her header drop onto the top of the bar, not into the back of the net.
In and amongst these chances, Cameroon made a change, bringing on Nchout, who started the previous game against Switzerland, for Zouga in a very attacking change that meant four forwards were on the pitch now for the African nation. She almost had an immediate impact too, firing Onguene's cross goalwards on the volley at the back post, but finding the goalkeeper there to save as always, with her having had a terrific game thus far in terms of her footwork and positioning in between the sticks for China.
There was only 20 minutes to play now, and Cameroon needed to make one of these chances count, sooner rather than later. The introduction of Henriette Akaba attempted to help them do this as she replaced Ngono Mani up front, but China continued to find ways through their high back line as Wang Shanshan again bared down on goal but found the brave Annette Ngo Ndom there to block, before she fired the loose ball wildly over from an angle.
Substitute Lou Jiahui came close to exposing Cameroon's leaky defence once more as we neared the 80 minute mark, Wang Fei's punt down the pitch easily making its way over the top of her opponent's back line for Lou to latch onto, but her attempted lob of Ngo Ndom dropped just wide of the far post as the goalkeeper threw herself towards the shot at full stretch.
Clear cut chances were failing to come for Cameroon, largely due to their desperation going forward as the clock continued to tick. Enganagouit was guilty of seeing her name in lights a few too many times in the closing stages, opting for ambitious 30 yard strikes over a more productive pass to build up an attack, but she was not the only one.
China, on the other hand, were composed on the ball, knocking it around well and had started to really get a grip of the game in midfield since around the 70 minute mark. A sly effort from an angled free-kick by Wang Shuang almost caught out Ngo Ndom with five minutes to play to put the game to bed, but the goalkeeper was on her toes and able to push it away from danger.
Another chance for Wang Shanshan arrived moments later, her once again getting in behind the very out-of-sync back line of Cameroon's, only to take too long to strike and allow Christine Manie to recover with a great tackle just as the Chinese striker was about to pull the trigger. Immediately down the other end, Akaba headed Leuko's cross in just wide of Wang Fei's far post as Cameroon seeked a late, late equaliser.
A nasty clash of heads in stoppage time saw a bloody Han bandaged up on the pitch to ensure there would be a dramatic number of minutes added on at the end, giving the African nation greater hope of a miraculous equaliser. However, they failed to muster up anything of note during the additional six minutes, with the referee bringing the game to its conclusion with the score at 1-0.It was certainly a game that lived up to expectations, with it being lively and end-to-end throughout, whilst the goals many may have predicted were only absent due to the outstanding performances of both goalkeepers. China will have to be far more clinical themselves in the next round if they are to record a shock win over, most likely, the USA, as they could have easily won this game by a large margin given how many chances Cameroon allowed them to have.
Cameroon bow out of the World Cup having swayed many neutrals in their direction this summer with their exciting and attacking play. Whilst African nations search for additional support and funding for women's football, they have certainly done their part in justifying exactly why this should increase, because they are a very promising nation who have great potential.
Their attacking prowess is wonderful, and if they can sort their defence out, giving it more structure and organisation, in the next four years, then there is no reason why they cannot better their new best ever finish in a World Cup of the last 16.
