4 months ago
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Uruguay play South Korea in Group H of the World Cup in Qatar.
Two-time winners of the tournament, La Celeste are seen as dark horses this year, with Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez in fine form, while veteran forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani will look for one last hurrah.
Federico Valverde might be more important than anybody, and the Real Madrid midfielder will be key to dictating the tempo against South Korea. Son Heung-min is hoping to play despite suffering a face fracture in the build-up for the tournament while playing for Tottenham in the Champions League, meaning he will wear a face mask - at least during the group stage.
Both sides will be confident they can not only qualify but finish top of a wide-open group that also includes Ghana and Portugal.
Follow all the action with our live blog below, after the conclusion of Switzerland vs Cameroon
Uruguay face South Korea in Group H at the Qatar World Cup with La Celeste considered dark horses to go all the way
Darwin Nunez and Luis Suarez start up top for La Celeste, with Federico Valverde in midfield
Son Heung-min is fit to start for South Korea despite suffering face fracture three weeks ago
Switzerland defeat Cameroon 1-0 in early match
Uruguay 0 - 0 Korea Republic
13:12 , Jamie Braidwood
10 mins: A lot of South Korea’s attacks have come down the right so far, targetting Uruguay’s Olivera. Son, who is on the left, hasn’t seen much of the ball so far.
13:10 , Jamie Braidwood
8 mins: Great tempo to this already. Kim Moon-hwan whips a dangerous ball in that Uruguay clear, setting Nunez galloping down the left.
13:07 , Jamie Braidwood
6 mins: There’s been a lot of talk about Uruguay’s midfield three of Bentancur, Vecino and Valvarde but South Korea are currently dominating the middle of the pitch. Darwin Nunez, meanwhile, has started out on the left.
13:04 , Jamie Braidwood
3 mins: You can know when Son touches the ball without looking up at the screen, given the audible screams that ring around the stadium every time he touches the ball.
South Korea look confident. This bright red kit looks brilliant too.
(AFP via Getty Images)
13:00 , Jamie Braidwood
1 min: Fast start! South Korea go direct early on, winning a corner as Olivera slides in. Goalkeeper Rochet collects the cross - before Uruguay go straight on the attack. Nunez is almost played in but South Korea can tidy up.
12:59 , Jamie Braidwood
Hopefully this is a cracker. Son meets Diego Godin for the handshake. The veteran defender is back at his fourth World Cup, at the age of 36.
Luis Suarez could also make history with a goal today, and equal the record for Uruguay if he scores his eighth of the World Cup.
Kick-off is next!
12:56 , Jamie Braidwood
The teams are out and it’s time for the anthems! Uruguay’s is so, so good. A lovely musical intro and then a huge powerful finish. Sublime. Fiery.
Son Heung-min is out, face mask and all, and has his hand on his heart. Lovely stuff.
12:50 , Jamie Braidwood
Son Heung-min’s early-season goal drought saw questions being raised about the pre-World Cup form of South Korea’s Tottenham Hotspur forward, who is fit and firing following a facial fracture.
Son, South Korea’s attacking talisman, has undergone surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye that he suffered playing for Tottenham against Olympique de Marseille, that had led to his participation at the World Cup being in doubt.
Yet for months it was his finishing that had fans worried.
After finishing as the Premier League’s joint-top scorer last season, the 30-year-old went eight games in all competitions without a goal to prompt concerns that his golden touch was deserting him with time ticking down to kick-off in Qatar.
South Korea’s greatest football export Son Heung-min still on top despite injury woe
12:40 , Jamie Braidwood
“The original World Cup winners, and indeed hosts, Uruguay have been part of international folklore for as long as that version of the game has been around.
“Unlike some others from that part of the world, though, the story of La Celeste has not always been one of romance and achievement, of being giants and being admired, their names woven into World Cup fabric as often as they would have liked.
“The tenth-biggest nation in South America by population went from mythical to missing on the global stage in the space of less than three decades.
“Between 1978 and 1998 they qualified only twice and tasted victory only once. It has been a long road back for the Sky Blue side, but a golden generation of players was overseen and developed by the legendary Oscar Tabarez and now, under the guidance of Diego Alonso, they are showing that a generational team doesn’t have to be restricted to a single generation.
“Uruguay are very much a force to reckoned with in Qatar at the World Cup, a team with players who know their roles, proven goalscorers and committed faces aplenty and, crucially, a handful of elite talents playing near the top of their game.”
Uruguay preview by Karl Matchett
12:30 , Jamie Braidwood
Son Heung-min starts for South Korea in their World Cup opener against Uruguay. Son is expected to play in a protective mask after sustaining multiple fractures around his left eye three weeks ago.
Uruguay line up with Darwin Nunez and Luis Suarez in attack, along with Manchester United’s Facundo Pellistr. Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde joins Matias Vecino and Rodrigo Bentancur in the midfield.
Uruguay XI: Rochet, Caceres, Godin, Gimenez, Olivera, Valverde, Vecino, Bentancur, Pellistri, Suarez, Nunez
South Korea XI: Seung-Gyu Kim, Moon-Hwan Kim, Min-Jae Kim, Young-Gwon Kim, Jin-Su Kim, In-Beom Hwang, Jung, Na, Jae-Sung Lee, Heung-Min Son, Eui-Jo Hwang
12:25 , Jamie Braidwood
Next up: Uruguay play South Korea in Group H of the World Cup in Qatar.
Two-time winners of the tournament, La Celeste are seen as dark horses this year, with Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez in fine form, while veteran forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani will look for one last hurrah.
Federico Valverde might be more important than anybody, and the Real Madrid midfielder will be key to dictating the tempo against South Korea. Son Heung-min is hoping to play despite suffering a face fracture in the build-up for the tournament while playing for Tottenham in the Champions League, meaning he will wear a face mask - at least during the group stage.
Both sides will be confident they can not only qualify but finish top of a wide-open group that also includes Ghana and Portugal.
Join our coverage of that match, here:
Uruguay vs South Korea LIVE: World Cup 2022 latest score and updates
12:16 , Jamie Braidwood
The muted goal celebration is not an especially common sight sight in international football, but with an ever-more globalised world comes an ever-more globalised World Cup, and so too the conflicting emotions of Switzerland’s match-winner Breel Embolo.
Born in Yaoundé before emigrating to France when he was five-years-old, Embolo did not celebrate the crisp, guided finish that helped overcome Cameroon in this tight Group G opener, instead putting his hands up in apology. A few of his team-mates ran to celebrate the assist with Xherdan Shaqiri instead.
They understand, after all. Many of Murat Yakin’s squad are dual nationals, with the Balkan-origin contingent relishing a rematch of their fiery 2018 meeting with Serbia in the final round of group games. That could be crucial to their hopes of reaching the last-16, with Brazil now next up, but to take three points here was a promising start.
By Mark Critchley at the Al Janoub Stadium
Breel Embolo hands Switzerland perfect World Cup start to punish wasteful Cameroon
12:05 , Jamie Braidwood
“In some ways, Switzerland’s World Cup got off to the perfect start with a 1-0 win over Cameroon. Going into their second game against Brazil, the Swiss have three points on the board and don’t require a shock victory over the pre-tournament favourites to keep their knockout hopes on course.
“Yet it was a laboured win, with Cameroon the better side in the first half and unlucky not to be ahead by the break, before their European opponents scored through Cameroon-born Breel Embolo early in the second period and subsequently suffocated the life out of the game.
“No-one could legitimately argue the Swiss attack was firing on all cylinders but the answer to unlock their potential is already in their ranks and goes by the name of Granit Xhaka. The captain won his 107th cap, and has been a key cog since making his debut in 2011, as proven by playing every minute of their recent Nations League campaign, but it’s time to change his role in the side to turn them into legitimate contenders.”
11:56 , Jamie Braidwood
But it counts for nothing! Switzerland do just enough to beat Cameroon and open Group G with a tight victory. Breel Embolo is the match-winner, scoring against the country of his birth shortly after half-time and choosing not to celebrate out of respect. After a lively first half, Switzerland were able to see out the win with little fuss. They will be full of confidence ahead of their second match of the group against Brazil, who face Serbia later on.
(AFP via Getty Images)
11:56 , Jamie Braidwood
90+5 mins: Block! Cameroon hang on, just! Seferovic looked to be through on goal after a Cameroon slip. He cut inside and had the goal gaping, but Castelletto threw himself at the shot.
11:55 , Jamie Braidwood
90+4 mins: A late flurry from Cameroon comes to nothing, as Sommer can easily gather a cross from deep as Moumi Ngamaleu threw himself at the ball.
11:53 , Jamie Braidwood
90+2 mins: N’Koulou races back to sweep up a Switzerland attack, but then slips on the byline to concede a cheap corner. Switzerland will not be rushing to take this.
11:50 , Jamie Braidwood
90 mins: Just the six minutes of added time.
Can Cameroon find a late equaliser? They have not offered much at all in this second half.
11:49 , Jamie Braidwood
88 mins: Save! Well the pace of this match has completely died, but Xhaka goes close from distance as he catches a shot sweetly. It skims off the surface but Onana handles it well.
11:44 , Jamie Braidwood
82 mins: CHANCE! Swizerland expose the space behind the Cameroon defence as Rodriguez plays in Rieder down the left. The cross towards the front post is dangerous and Seferovic is not far away, but Nicolas Nkoulou scrambles clear.
Switzerland then ask for a penalty after the ball hits Aboubakar’s hand - but it was clearly accidental.
11:41 , Jamie Braidwood
80 mins: Cameroon right back Fai swings a cross over from the wing - it misses everyone but gives Yann Sommer a brief scare. We’ve all seen crosses like that drift into the far corner, and this wasn’t too far away.
11:39 , Jamie Braidwood
78 mins: The changes have done little to lift either team. The past five minutes or so have been a complete non-event.
11:34 , Jamie Braidwood
74 mins: And here come the Cameroon changes. The striker Vincent Aboubakar, who was a surprise omission from the starting team, replaces Chupo-Moting and immediately takes the armband. Georges-Kevin N’Koudou is on too.
11:31 , Jamie Braidwood
70 mins: This time Shaqiri’s cross drifts long. Here comes a triple Swiss change, and Shaqiri is among those to be removed as well as Embolo. Interesting decision, that.
Frei, Okafor and Seferovic all come on.
11:29 , Jamie Braidwood
67’ - DOUBLE CHANCE!
Switzerland are denied a second! They break into space once more - with Shaqiri cutting a dangerous ball back to Vargas. He looks certain to score - but Onana produces a great stop to his left.
Then, from the corner, Shaqiri whips in a lethal cross. Embolo is waiting for the tap-in, but Anguissa stretches at the last moment to clear! Great defending, although it was almost an own goal.
🙌 Onana keeps his side in it!
A strong save from the Inter Milan 'keeper#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/E3U2prFG76
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 24, 2022
11:26 , Jamie Braidwood
66 mins: Chance! Cameroon’s best moment of the half. Mbeumo floats a cross in from a set-piece and Anguissa rises well to meet it. The header is straigth at Sommer.
11:23 , Jamie Braidwood
61 mins: Switzerland fly forward again - so much space for them now to attack into. Vargas is forced wide by the Cameroon defence, as he slashes wide. Have Cameroon gambled too much, too soon though. That’s the question.
11:20 , Jamie Braidwood
59 mins: There’s lots of space appearing for Switzerland now. Cameroon have to be careful. Shaqiri plays through Vargas, who had Xhaka free in the middle. However Vargas was offside, which was a relief for the winger as his cross was ballooned over the bar.
11:17 , Jamie Braidwood
57 mins: SAVE! Great work by Chupo-Moting, who beats Akanji around the outside to break into the box. Sommer makes the save at his near post, but Anguissa is furious after demanding the cut-back.
11:16 , Jamie Braidwood
54 mins: Almost another lovely move from Switzerland. They again manage to break the lines as Akanji splits Cameroon with a ball through to Shaqiri, who then couldn’t squeeze through to Vargas.
11:13 , Jamie Braidwood
52 mins: Now, can Cameroon respond. They were probably the better team in the first half but were caught cold from the restart. They barely had a touch from kick-off before Onana had to pick the ball out of his net.
11:08 , Jamie Braidwood
BREAKTHROUGH! And what a lovely goal this is from Switzerland - scored by Embolo against the country of his birth!
Switzerland work it through the lines, with Xhaka playing into Freuler, who finds Shaqiri on the wing.
Shaqiri fires it across first time and Embolo is there to fire into the open net. The striker doesn’t celebrate out of respect, which is interesting.
The defending from Cameroon at the front post was quite poor- Embolo was left in acres of space - but the play leading to the chance was wonderful from the Swiss.
Breel Embolo finishes off a well-worked Swiss move to open the scoring
🇨🇲 There's no celebration against the country of his birth#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/DUIckNRuoV
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 24, 2022
11:07 , Jamie Braidwood
47 mins: As they did in the first half, Switzerland start off on the front foot. Cameroon drop into their defensive shape.
11:05 , Jamie Braidwood
Back underway! No changes at the break.
11:03 , Jamie Braidwood
Here’s that miss from Akanji. Put your head through it, Manuel!
❎ Akanji puts it wide of the mark but that's the closest either side have come to scoring in a fascinating first half#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/p7oTpuXhxq
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 24, 2022
10:57 , Jamie Braidwood
This from the The Independent’s Mark Critchley, who is reporting on this morning’s game.
“Currently on a mean average of 3.2 goals per game I've attended, and a median average of 0.”
We’ve had three 0-0s so far - and this encounter did have the feeling of a stalemate before kick-off.
It’s been fun, though, but do either team have the clinical finisher to make the difference in the second half?
10:51 , Jamie Braidwood
It’s goalless - but it really shouldn’t be. Cameroon have been the better team and have created two or three good opportunities, particularly on the breakaway. Cameroon then took control of possession but Switzerland had the best chance of the half on the stroke of the break. Manuel Akanji passed up a sitter from less than six yards. Miss of the World Cup so far, for me.
10:48 , Jamie Braidwood
46+2 mins: CHANCE! How is this still goalless?!
From the corner, Akanji is wide open and has a free header from maybe four yards out - but he just doesn’t get enough on the header and is skims wide!
A golden opportunity - wasted.
10:46 , Jamie Braidwood
45 mins: Widmer hangs a cross up but Embolo can’t direct it on target. Oum instead hacks out for a Switzerland corner. There will be two minutes added on...
10:42 , Jamie Braidwood
41 mins: Block! Relief for Elvedi. The Swiss centre-back clears a cross straight into Chupo-Moting’s feet. The Bayern Munich striker looks to line up a shot, but Elvedi gets his body in the way.
10:41 , Jamie Braidwood
39 mins: Big tackle! Embolo plays a smart one-two and cuts into the Cameroon box at the angle - the shot across goal looked on but Jean-Charles Castelletto recovers to make an important challenge on the stretch. Switzerland head wide from the corner.
10:39 , Jamie Braidwood
38 mins: This has been fun - Cameroon are on top, but can they get the breakthrough before half-time?
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
10:36 , Jamie Braidwood
35 mins: Chance! Excellent play from Cameroon! Chupo-Moting controls a lovely pass on the half-volley, playing in Fai on the right wing. Toko Ekambi looks to be free at the back post and gets ahead of Widmer, with Fai’s cross asking to be tapped in. But Widmer, the Swiss right back, makes a brilliant recovery and beats Toko Ekambi to the cross. Crucial defending.
10:35 , Jamie Braidwood
33 mins: Better from Switzerland! They are able to play through the Cameroon press and drive into space through Sow - the cross from the right is cleared by Cameroon before Shaqiri whips in a cross from the left that evades everyone. They need to get more bodies into the box.
10:31 , Jamie Braidwood
30 mins: Nice play! Lovely move from Cameroon as Choupo-Moting and Mbeumo exchange a one-two on the outside of the box. Sommer has to deal with Hongola’s shot from a tight angle and makes a mess of it. Widmer has to get back and hack clear.
10:28 , Jamie Braidwood
25 mins: Collins Fai sees his name in lights as a Cameroon attack is pushed wide - but the right back slices a shot from range well wide. Cameroon are starting to see a greater share of the ball, now.
10:26 , Jamie Braidwood
23 mins: Nice break from Cameroon but nothing comes of it. Zambo- Anguissa played it into Mbeumo out wide, with the Brentford forward dancing inside, evading challenges, before setting it back to Zambo- Anguissa. Switzerland get men back to slow the attack down, and are then able to clear the corner.
10:23 , Jamie Braidwood
21 mins: There is some frustration growing in the Switzerland team - they cannot find a way through the Cameroon defence. It’s been a good start from the African side.
10:19 , Jamie Braidwood
19 mins: Cameroon’s defensive shape is looking pretty solid. Xhaka looks to cut through it with an angled cross towards Widmer, but it just floats out of play.
10:18 , Jamie Braidwood
17 mins: We seem to be having a 0-0 a day at the World Cup and I was fearing that today’s opening game was the leading candidate. However there’s been lots of action so far with Cameroon threatening on the break and Switzerland moving the ball well as they control possession.
10:16 , Jamie Braidwood
15 mins: CHANCE! Cameroon cut through Switzerland, as Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting flicks himself into space and suddenly is through on goal. Choupo-Moting’s finish is tame and easily saved by Sommer, although Akanji did get back to put the pressure on. An offside flag goes up to suggest it may have been disallowed anyway.
10:14 , Jamie Braidwood
13 mins: Chance! Decent play from Switzerland. First, Vargas slides a ball across goal, which was begging for a touch from Embolo. Then, Shaqiri plays a neat pass inside to Embolo, who was through on goal for an instant. He’s offside, though.
10:13 , Jamie Braidwood
12 mins: Classic. Xhaka takes aim from range but blasts over. The big question is, can the midfielder replicate his Arsenal form for his country?
10:12 , Jamie Braidwood
10 mins: CHANCE! Cameroon should be 1-0 up! Switzerland are sliced open through with a simple ball through the middle. Mbeumo takes the shot first time, which is parried away by Sommer. It drops to Karl Toko Ekambi, but he fires over from inside the box!
10:09 , Jamie Braidwood
7 mins: Shaqiri is able to turn and run after receiving the ball in a pocket of space. Wimmer provided an option out wide but Cameroon are able to get out to stop the cross.
10:07 , Jamie Braidwood
5 mins: Cameroon win a free kick wide on the left, their first opportunity to threaten Switzerland. Mbeumo’s cross is headed clear by Xhaka.
10:06 , Jamie Braidwood
4 mins: Embolo is seeing a lot of the ball early on, too, and is dropping deep receive posession. Cameroon aren’t sure how to deal with it.
10:04 , Jamie Braidwood
3 mins: Switzerland start on the front foot, seeing plenty of the ball in the Cameroon half in the opening stages. Shaqiri, who starts on the right, sees a cross blocked as he looked to cut in on his left foot.
10:03 , Jamie Braidwood
1 min: Switzerland win an early corner, taken by Shaqiri. It’s hacked clear by Cameroon at the front post.
10:01 , Jamie Braidwood
We have a huge on-the-pitch shadow at the Al Janoub Stadium. Classic World Cup.
09:59 , Jamie Braidwood
Here are the anthems - Switzerland’s is lovely and gentle, Cameroon’s powerful and shouty. Good stuff all around.
Kick-off next!
09:57 , Jamie Braidwood
Lovely scenes before kick-off as Cameroon legend Roger Milla receives recognition from Fifa for his iconic goals in the 1990 World Cup, including in the famous win against Argentina. Can Cameroon take inspiration?
(AFP via Getty Images)
09:52 , Jamie Braidwood
Switzerland striker Breel Embolo will start against his native Cameroon today.
Embolo, who was born in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde, lived in France and later relocated to Switzerland, is playing in his second World Cup, having helped the Swiss reach the round of 16 at the 2018 tournament.
(Getty Images)
09:45 , Jamie Braidwood
Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka can swing from the sublime to the ridiculous in a matter of moments, but on his day he is the driving force of his team’s midfield and has featured in every one of their games at the last two World Cup finals.
Xhaka has great technical ability, but wears his heart on his sleeve, which at times has left his club coaches frustrated by petulant dismissals at key moments and earned him something of an unwanted reputation.
But at national team level, the Arsenal midfielder is more measured and played every minute of Switzerland’s recent Nations League A campaign, taking his tally of international caps to 106 since his debut in 2011.
A focused and engaged Xhaka is vital for Switzerland as he brings balance and stability as a shield for the back four. He is able to drive them forward out of defence and is a scorer of some spectacular goals, though in truth he probably should net more.
He is a straight-talker and there were rumours of a rift with his coach Murat Yakin in June, where the midfielder’s comments about the team’s tactics were perceived to be a criticism of his boss.
Steely midfielder Granit Xhaka adds maturity to drive forward Switzerland hopes
09:30 , Jamie Braidwood
When Andre Onana plays in goal for Cameroon at the World Cup it will be exactly one year since his return from a drugs ban that he is still struggling to bounce back from.
The 26-year-old spent nine months on the sidelines after banned diuretic furosemide was found in his urine.
He took his wife’s prescription medicine, after looking for an aspirin to quell a headache, and his explanation was accepted on appeal when the ban was cut from a year to nine months.
“A stupid mistake,” he has said, although adding: “There is little humanity in football. We are obviously not allowed to make mistakes and are treated like robots. A hard lesson.”
The incident brought an abrupt halt in January 2021 to a career that was blooming at Ajax, where he was fast establishing himself as one of the best keepers in Europe.
One year on from drugs ban Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana back in the spotlight
09:20 , Jamie Braidwood
Five-time winners Brazil have not won the World Cup for 20 years - since the generation led by Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho triumphed in Japan & South Korea - and the Selecao were knocked out in the quarter-finals last time out by Belgium in 2018. They are the top seeds in Group G, alongside Switzerland, Cameroon and Serbia.
Switzerland and Serbia both finished top of their respective qualifying groups against the odds - beating Italy and Portugal respectively to top spot - while Cameroon beat Algeria in a play-off via a dramatic Karl Toko Ekambi winner in the last minute of extra-time.
At the 2018 World Cup, Switzerland finished second in their group - when they also faced Brazil and Serbia - before losing 1-0 to Sweden in the last-16. Serbia came third in the group after a pivotal 2-1 loss to Switzerland, while Cameroon did not qualify for Russia but were also drawn with Brazil in 2014, where they lost all three matches.
Here is everything you need to know about Group G:
Everything you need to know about World Cup 2022 Group G
09:15 , Jamie Braidwood
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin believes his squad is well equipped to make history as they prepare for their opening match of the 2022 World Cup against Cameroon in Group G on Thursday.
The Swiss have not reached the quarter-finals since they hosted the tournament in 1954 but, having emerged undefeated through qualifying, Yakin has urged his side to make the most of what he considers an unprecedented opportunity.
“I think we are the best Switzerland national team that has ever existed – we have fantastic players who play abroad and I am convinced we will perform our best World Cup ever,” said Yakin.
“I think we have a great team with a great team spirit that has been built for the last couple of years. Football-wise we have improved a lot, and now we want to write history.”
‘Best Switzerland national team that has ever existed’ ready for World Cup
09:11 , Jamie Braidwood
If the sight of Xherdan Shaqiri in a Switzerland shirt doesn’t get you excited for a group stage match, then you’re doing the World Cup wrong.
The ‘powercube’ always seems to deliver for Switzerland on the big stage - he’s scored at the past two World Cups and Euros for Switzerland.
(Getty Images)
09:06 , Jamie Braidwood
Switzerland: Sommer; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Sow, Vargas, Shaqiri; Embolo
Cameroon: Onana; Nkoulou, Fai, Castelletto, Tolo; Anguissa, Gouet, Hongla; Toko Ekambi, Choupo-Moting, Mbeumo
08:55 , Jamie Braidwood
Switzerland are a side which has consistently punched above their weight at major tournaments, having progressed from their group at their last four major tournaments.
While they previously fell at the first hurdle come the knockout-stages, last year’s European Championships were a different story as they stunned world champions France in the last-16, progressing on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in which Granit Xhaka was the star of the show.
Last time out on the world stage, the Swiss progressed to the last-16 but came a cropper to Sweden by a solitary goal. Similarly in 2014, a last-minute Angel Di Maria beauty resulted in a heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in the first knockout round.
There will be a familiar feel in Qatar for the Swiss, with two of their group opponents from 2018 - Brazil and Serbia - matched up with them again, with the addition of Cameroon this time round.
Switzerland World Cup 2022 squad guide, fixtures and ones to watch
08:50 , Jamie Braidwood
Cameroon were minutes away from their World Cup dreams evaporating as they contested their play-off with Algeria earlier this year. But with Karl Toko Ekambi’s dramatic last-minute winner, the Indomitable Lions nicked a place in Qatar courtesy of away goals.
Captained by ex-Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar, Cameroon finished third in their home Africa Cup of Nations at the start of 2022, missing out on a place in the final on penalties to Egypt - another African team not present in Qatar.
While they did not qualify for Russia four years ago, they were grouped with Brazil back in 2014, losing 4-1 in their final game having lost all three encounters - the other two to Mexico and Croatia.
They also disappointed in South Africa in 2010 but armed this year with some powerful forwards and one of the world’s most promising young goalkeepers in ex-Ajax player and current Inter Milan shotstopper Andre Onana, Cameroon could surprise many in the winter World Cup.
Cameroon World Cup squad guide, fixtures and more for 2022 tournament
08:45 , Jamie Braidwood
Switzerland 3/4
Draw 12/5
Cameroon 21/5
Switzerland have the edge on paper but Cameroon are a useful outfit who can put up a competitive fight in Group G, especially given their pedigree in attack and their outstanding goalkeeper. Switzerland 1-1 Cameroon.
08:40 , Jamie Braidwood
The Group G match kicks off at 10am GMT at the Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah.
What TV channel is it on and how can I watch online?
It will be shown live on ITV 1, with coverage starting at 9am, as well as online on ITV X.
08:35 , Jamie Braidwood
Switzerland have named four goalkeeprs in their squad due to fitness concerns over Yann Sommer.
Kevin Mbabu and Steven Zuber are injured and are not involved in the World Cup.
Cameroon are expected to have a full squad to choose from, with capain Vincent Aboubakar set to lead the line.
Predicted line-ups
Switzerland: Kobel, Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez, Freuler, Xhaka, Shaqiri, Sow, Vargas, Embolo.
Cameroon: Onana, Fai, N’Koulou, Castelleto, Tolo, Anguissa, Ntcham, Mbeumo, Choupo-Moting, Ekambi, Aboubakar.
08:30 , Jamie Braidwood
Hello and welcome to day five of the World Cup, which kicks off this morning with Switzerland vs Cameroon.
Granit Xhaka will hope to carry over his form for Arsenal to Qatar, while the Indomitable Lions will lean on Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting up top.
The Swiss came unstuck against Sweden in the last 16 at Russia 2018 and will be confident they can advance to at least that stage, likely competing against Serbia with the tournament’s favourites Brazil tipped to win the group.
While Cameroon are back at the World Cup for the first time since 2014 when they were knocked out at the group stage and they have not gone further than this since 1990 when they made it to the quarter-finals.
Follow all the build-up with us here.
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