Alex Song's insane punch sets tone for Cameroon early exit

A wild elbow from Alex Song on Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic ended Cameroon’s hopes of advancing from Group A in Manaus.

The Barcelona midfielder was given a straight red card after losing his cool in the 40th minute, by which time Cameroon were already a goal behind.

Cameroon’s night went from bad to worse following Song’s dismissal, as they conceded three times in the second half to quash any dreams they had of qualifying for the knockout stages.

And to top things off, Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto headbutted team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo in the closing stages.

Ivica Olic’s close-range finish gave Croatia the lead against the run of play in the 10th minute, after the Indomitable Lions had sparkled in the opening exchanges.

A thunderous run and strike from Ivan Perisic doubled Croatia’s advantage shortly after the break, before Mandzukic marked his return from suspension with two goals in quick succession.

There had been encouraging signs for Cameroon from kick-off, as they launched a series of attacks down the right. It took them 91 seconds to register a shot against Mexico in their 1-0 defeat in the opening game, but at the Amazonia Arena that statistic was put to bed.

Less than 30 seconds had passed when Benjamin Moukandjo fashioned their first chance, firing into the side-netting from an acute angle.

Volker Finke’s side continued to push and probe, with Vincent Aboubakar, starting in place of the injured Samuel Eto’o, causing particular havoc with his pace and trickery.

Then, against the run of play, Croatia took the lead.

A dangerous cross from Darijo Srna from the right fell straight to Perisic on the edge of the box and he dissected the Cameroon defence with a perfect pass to the back post, where Olic was on hand to thump home.

It was Olic’s second World Cup goal, more than a decade after his first, which came in a 2-1 victory over Italy in the 2002 group stages.

Croatia’s opening goal against Brazil was created on the wing and it was out wide that Niko Kovac’s side looked to test Cameroon.

Srna and Perisic continued to combine well down Croatia’s right, with Tottenham left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto struggling to deal with the dual threat they posed.

Eto’o could only gesture wildly from the bench as his team-mates lost their footing in the game as the half wore on – and their problems were compounded in the 40th minute when Song was dismissed.

Referee Pedro Proenca reached straight for red after Song wildly lashed out at Mandzukic with his arm as Croatia tried to counter down the left-hand side.

Song bowed his head as he trudged from the pitch in Manaus, four years after his spat with Eto’o had split the Cameroon camp. Cameroon lost all three of their games at that tournament, and look to be heading for a similar conclusion in Brazil.

What was so frustrating for Cameroon and their fans was that Song had been playing very well. Before his moment of madness the former Arsenal man and Joel Matip had been doing a fine job of keeping Croatia’s central midfield pairing of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic quiet.

How that would change with Cameroon down to 10 men.

Even in the final minutes of the first half, the space Song’s absence afforded them was noticeable.

Finke introduced defender Dany Nounkeo for the second half to try to shore up Cameroon’s defence.

His first involvement was to trail in Perisic’s wake as the Wolfsburg forward hared down the left, cut into the penalty area, and then curled a shot into the far corner with Charles Itanjde pulled out of position.

Mandzukic needed two chances to make it 3-0. First he shot wide after being put clean through by the Brazil-born Sammir, before rising highest to head an outswinging Pranjic corner past the despairing dive of Itanjde.

Croatia freshened things up with 20 minutes left, introducing Inter Milan starlet Mateo Kovacic and former Arsenal forward Eduardo.

And it was the two substitutes that combined for Croatia’s fourth and final goal. Kovacic cut the ball back to Eduardo, the Shakhtar striker forced Itanjde into a smart low stop, but there was Mandzukic on hand to pass the rebound into an empty net.

Then came the unsavoury clash between Assou-Ekotto and Moukandjo, which rather summed up Cameroon's night.

Three points for Niko Kovac’s side keeps their hopes of advancing to the last 16 alive, with Mexico their opponents in their final group game on June 23.