Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon: Swiss secure victory with considerable nervousness and instability

Embolo secures all three points for Switzerland in troubled World Cup debut.

The last fixture for the first round of the World Cup group stage began with Switzerland’s debut against Cameroon, one of the candidates to qualify for the round of 16 in Group G.

Switzerland lived up to pre-match expectations in the starting line-up with Embolo positioned at centre-forward. Sow complemented the central trio and Vargas was used on the left wing.

The Cameroon team entered the field with a 4-3-3 tactical formation, one of the variations explored since Mbuemo’s call-up. Nkoulou, a surprise on the squad, was named in the starting line-up. Finally, Choupo-Moting, the greatest hope of goals for the Cameroonians, played for practically the entire game.

Choupo-Moting had his best opportunity to score in the 14th minute, breaking through Switzerland’s defensive lines on infiltration, but goalkeeper Yann Sommer made an excellent save.

Mbuemo’s line-up added a new dimension to Cameroon’s attack, due to its technical characteristics, a player who dribbles a lot, threatens the opponent’s defense in individual shots and starts at speed in counterattacks.

In addition, Switzerland had to flee the defensive and counterattacking characteristics by having to work on possession of the ball in attack, without being able to impose the pace in offensive transitions.

However, a good opportunity was enough for Switzerland to open the scoring. Xhaka, Freuler and Shaqiri built well, spinning to the side, accelerating the play. Embolo completed the move; scoring a goal against the country, he was born.

The key moment of this victory was Widmer’s crucial interception to block Toko Ekambi’s goal after Collins Fai’s low cross in the Swiss penalty area, preventing the scoring in Cameroon’s best moment of the match.

Shaqiri, one of the best players on the field, has been involved in 50% of the goals scored by Switzerland in the last four major tournaments, further highlighting his importance in the offensive system.

After the goal scored, Switzerland took control of the actions until the final whistle and did not suffer any more defensively, against Cameroon stuck in midfield when they regained possession of the ball. A calm victory in the second half. However, some risks in the first half need a reflection before Brazil.