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Attendance: 39,216
Mexico national football team
World Cup | Group Stage
Jun 13, 2014 at 5pm UK
 
Cameroon national football team

1-0

Peralta (61')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Live Commentary: Mexico 1-0 Cameroon - as it happened

Relive Mexico's controversial 1-0 win over Cameroon in their opening match of the 2014 World Cup courtesy of Sports Mole's live coverage of the game.
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Mexico opened up their World Cup campaign with a victory this afternoon as they beat Cameroon 1-0 in Natal to move level on points with Brazil at the top of Group A.

The officials dominated the talking points from the first half as Giovani dos Santos saw two perfectly good goals disallowed for offside.

El Tri were not to be denied, however, and they finally got the decisive goal shortly after the hour mark as Oribe Peralta slid the ball into the empty net after Charles Itandje had denied Giovani.

You can read how an absorbing 90 minutes of World Cup action unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage of the match below.


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Good afternoon! Well, the 2014 World Cup is finally up and running, with hosts Brazil kicking us off as controversial victors in the opening match against Croatia last night. There was no shortage of entertainment on show then, and hopefully we are in for more of the same as the tournament gets into full swing with the first of three matches today. It is Mexico vs. Cameroon at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, and we are all set for a very intriguing encounter. Let's start with a look at the teams today...

MEXICO STARTING XI: Ochoa; Rodriguez, Marquez, Herrera, Layun, Dos Santos, Moreno, Guardado, Peralta, Aguilar, Vazquez

CAMEROON STARTING XI: Itandje; Assou-Ekotto, Nkoulou, Djeugoue, Song, Moukandjo, Eto'o, Choupo Moting, Chedjou, Mbia, Enoh

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, the Mexican side has been known since yesterday, with manager Miguel Herrera confirming it as his press conference. There were a number of big decisions for him to make when it came to this opening match as well, none more so than the fate of Manchester United's Javier Hernandez. The poacher may well be Mexico's third-highest scorer of all time, but his lack of football at club level last season has cost him his place in the national side.

In truth, Hernandez has not been at his best internationally recently either. It is nine matches since he last scored for Mexico - his longest drought at this level. The same cannot be said for Peralta, who will be El Tri's main dangerman this afternoon. He has scored a phenomenal eight goals in his last six competitive games for his country, so Cameroon will have to keep a particularly close eye on him.

Alongside him will be Giovani dos Santos, who Tottenham Hotspur fans will remember for an ill-fated spell at White Hart Lane. His time in England certainly did not do him justice, however, as he is a highly skilled player who seems to flourish for Mexico on the biggest stage. If El Tri are going to make it out of Group A, he could have a lot to say about it. Plus, there is always the threat of 'Super Sub' Hernandez coming off the bench to bag a couple if either of the starting frontmen find themselves struggling to make an impact.

Mexico are expected to play a 5-3-2 formation, with wing-backs a big part of Herrera's tactics since taking over. One of his biggest decisions has been to bring veteran Rafael Marquez - the former Barcelona and Monaco man - back into the side at centre-back. His pace could well be a weak spot for opposition to exploit throughout the tournament, but there are few players in Brazil with more experience than him. Ochoa is the man who gets the nod in goal, despite an unusual amount of competition for places between the sticks. Corona was also in with a shout having recovered from an injury scare suffered in the warm-up matches.

Two players who weren't so lucky to recover from injury were Juan Carlos Medina and Luis Montes. The duo will miss the tournament through injury, leaving a gaping hole in Mexico's midfield. Guardado, Aguilar and Vazquez are the men chosen to plug that gap, but it remains to be seen how well they adapt on the biggest stage. The signs in the warm-up matches were positive, however.

As for Cameroon, the name that immediately jumps out is Samuel Eto'o, who remains the Africans' star player. He already holds the distinction of being their highest ever goalscorer, with 56, and he has also been directly involved in their last four World Cup goals, scoring three and assisting one. There is little doubt that, if Cameroon are to pull off a shock and progress from the group, Eto'o will have to be at his best.

There is growing excitement about Choupo Moting, who will assist Eto'o in trying to breach the backline of Mexico this afternoon. The youngster has made something of a name for himself in the Bundesliga, and a good show in Brazil this summer could result in big clubs coming and calling for him. Alex Song will act as the midfield general and is arguably their second most important player behind Eto'o, while Tottenham's Benoit Assou-Ekotto turns out at left-back.

One player who hasn't made the starting lineup for Cameroon is Fabrice Olinga - a man who is particularly noteworthy for being the youngest player at this World Cup. He turned 18 in May and would become the ninth-youngest player in World Cup history should he make an appearance in the group stages. He has plenty of experience to content with if he wants to break into the side, though.

Neither of these two teams have had smooth passages to the World Cup, and it took some dramatic events for them to even make it to Brazil. Mexico have arch-rivals USA to thank for their place in this match today after Jurgen Klinsmann's side scored two stoppage-time goals to beat Panama 3-2 in the final match of CONCACAF qualifying. That prevented Panama from leapfrogging Mexico into the intercontinental playoff place, giving Mexico a lifeline to reach the finals.

As it was, they cruised past New Zealand in the playoff with a resounding 9-3 aggregate victory, but all in all it was a woeful qualifying campaign for El Tri. Rightly regarded as the powerhouses of the CONCACAF region alongside the United States, Mexico managed just two victories from their 10 qualifying games. Five draws saw them just pip Panama to the playoff spot, but they still finished behind the likes of Costa Rica, Honduras and USA.

What's more, they went through no less than four coaches in their attempts to qualify - a period of instability that placed their spot at the finals in serious doubt. They have qualified for every tournament since 1994, but very nearly missed out on this one. Things have improved since Miguel Herrera took the helm, but he is still relatively new to the job. He was appointed ahead of the playoff double-header against New Zealand, meaning that this afternoon's match will be just his third competitive game in charge of El Tri.

Herrera has had plenty of friendlies to hone his tactics, however, and the 5-3-2 system he has settled on seems to have steadied the ship for Mexico. They won two and lost two of their World Cup warm-up games, comfortably beating Israel and Ecuador but then narrowly losing to Bosnia and Portugal. Incidentally, the Bosnia defeat was their first under Herrera, but they come into this tournament having now lost their last two outings without scoring a goal.

Mexico at the World Cup is a very mixed bag. In recent times, they have a very solid record of having reached the last 16 in the last five editions of the tournament - a feat only Germany and Brazil can match. However, being long-time participants without ever really troubling the latter stages means that they have lost more games at the finals than any other side, with 24.

El Tri have never made it beyond the quarter-finals of the competition, reaching the last eight twice. On both of those occasions - 1970 and 1986 - they hosted the tournament, so they have never got beyond the last 16 on foreign soil. With favourites Brazil and a strong Croatia team joining them and Cameroon in Group A this year, a spot in the last 16 this time around would have to go down as a good achievement.

Cameroon are regarded as the worst team on paper in Group A, but Mexico do not have a good record against African teams on the grandest stage. El Tri have come up against teams from that continent three times and are yet to taste victory, recording two draws and one defeat. With Brazil and Croatia still to come, you'd have to think that anything less than a win today would leave the Mexicans with an uphill struggle to progress.

There is plenty of intrigue surrounding how this Mexican side will do in Brazil. They enjoyed a superb year in 2012, pipping Neymar's Brazil to the Olympic title, but 2013 was a disastrous time for El Tri. As mentioned earlier, Miguel Herrera's arrival has improved matters for the team, but it has undergone a lot of changes in a relatively short amount of time. Of the starting XI for today's match, only four players remain from the side that kicked off the Confederations Cup a year ago.

If there is one team that has had a worse route to the World Cup than Mexico, it is probably Cameroon. Less than a week ago there were concerns over whether they would even make it to Brazil after the players refused to board their scheduled flight in protest over bonuses. The Cameroonian FA eventually took out a loan to quell the unrest, but the Africans arrived in Brazil just four days ago - not ideal preparation for the biggest tournament of their lives.

The incident was the latest in a long line of turmoil between players and the authorities in Cameroon, but their camp has moved to play it down since they arrived in Brazil. Manager Volker Finke has said that there is no point worrying about it now, and that appears to be the best train of thought for the players. It has certainly not been a smooth road to the World Cup, but they are here now and it doesn't get much bigger than this.

While their recent history is rocky, their qualifying campaign was at least a little more straightforward - bar a match against Togo that saw Cameroon awarded the result due to Togo fielding an ineligible player. They finished top of Group I in African qualifying before going on to face Tunisia in the final qualifier. Eto'o came out of retirement for those games, and Cameroon duly eased past them with a 4-1 aggregate victory to reach Brazil.

Their warm-up results have been very much a mixed bag, with victories over Macedonia and Moldova nothing to particularly shout about and a defeat to Paraguay worrying some. However, their best result came as they held an almost full-strength Germany side to a 2-2 draw in Berlin. If they can produce a repeat performance against the bigger teams this year, they could well become a surprise package of Brazil 2014.

Acting as the surprise package at a World Cup would be nothing new to Cameroon, who are probably more synonymous with the tournament than any other African nation. That can be traced to Italia 90, when they became the first African side to reach the quarter-finals. Roger Milla and co stunned holders Argentina in the first match with a 1-0 win and went on to entertain their way to the last eight, where they were knocked out in extra time by England.

In many ways, however, Cameroon are still living off that run to the quarters. Their record at the World Cup since Gary Lineker's brace from the spot put them out 24 years ago is pretty dire, with just one victory from their 13 matches since. That win came against minnows Saudi Arabia in 2002, while they have lost eight and drawn four others. As with Mexico, a win could well be vital today if they are to progress from Group A.

The odds are stacked against them, however. The Indomitable Lions are ranked 56th in the world in the last FIFA list, making them officially the third-worst side at the finals (on paper at least). Only South Korea and Australia rank lower than the Africans, who are 36 spots behind Mexico. It certainly would be another memorable performance if they could get further than the group stages this time around.

PREDICTION: Right, we are 10 minutes away from kickoff in Natal, which means that it is time for a match prediction! Both sides go into this match knowing the importance of a winning start - particularly with Brazil and Croatia still to come. I don't expect either team, therefore, to park the bus and hope to nick a goal. I think this will be a fairly open and entertaining encounter, but I just think Mexico will have enough about them to see off the Cameroonian challenge. I'll go for Mexico to win 2-0, with Peralta first on the scoresheet.

These two sides have only ever met each other once before, in a friendly in Los Angeles 21 years ago. It was Mexico who triumphed on that occasion, running out 1-0 winners thanks to a Guzman goal.

We could see a small slice of World Cup history tonight, but don't get yourself too excited about it. Cameroon have scored 17 goals at the World Cup finals, and every single one has come from inside the area. They are not a team for long-range screamers, then, but with Mexico playing three in the middle of defence they could be forced into more long-range efforts.

A reminder that Brazil won the opening game of the World Cup 3-1 last night, putting them at the top of the pile in Group A. It is likely going to be between the winner of this match and Croatia for the second spot in the group, so three points is crucial here in Natal.

The national anthems have been sung, the handshakes done and the flags exchanged. We're just about ready to go here at the Arena das Dunas, where the rain has been falling. Will the conditions play a part in proceedings this afternoon?

KICKOFF: Here we go then! The first full day of World Cup action gets underway in the pouring rain as Mexico kick us off in Natal. El Tri are in their usual green, so Cameroon have been forced to change into yellow.

The Mexicans have by far the strongest support inside the stadium here. Every touch from the Central Americans is being cheered at the moment, while Cameroon are being roundly booed every time they touch the ball. Inauspicious start from both sides.

It is Mexico who are making the first inroads forward, but the referee makes a poor decision early on as Aguilar's cross clearly deflects off Assou-Ekotto and behind, only for a goal kick to be given. The officials didn't exactly cover themselves in glory last night, so Wilmar Roldan will want a quieter game in the middle today.

El Tri continue to dominate the ball in the opening exchanges, but the only space they can find so far is down the wings. Marquez plays a lovely ball down the left for Layun, but the danger is cleared.

Mexico come forward again as they work the ball across to the right, where Aguilar is bursting forward in space. He chooses to cross instead of shoot, but his low delivery is cleared away. It comes to Layun, whose strike is straight at the keeper.

Again El Tri attack down the left, but Cameroon clear the initial delivery into the box. Mexico win the second ball and Hector Herrera eventually turns and shoots, but puts his effort high and wide.

The story of the opening 10 minutes has been Mexico using their wing-backs to great effect. It is a trademark of Miguel Herrera to get his players to bomb down the wings, and Cameroon don't seem to be able to deal with them at the moment. Layun in particular is causing all sorts of problems.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Mexico think they have taken the lead, but the linesman's flag is up quickly! Herrera shapes a lovely ball into the box for Giovani dos Santos, who has been left unmarked and volleys it beyond Itandje. The celebrations are cut short, but the replays show that the former Tottenham man was onside. Another decision that the officials have got wrong.

To be fair to the linesman, that was a very tight call as Giovani was right on the shoulder of the last man. However, the benefit of the doubt should go to the attacker, and if it had on that occasion then Mexico would have a deserved lead.

That linesman has been busy so far. He flags for another very tight offside, but credit to him as he got this one right. That is two close calls that he has got right, but the most important one he got wrong. Could the officials dominate the headlines again in this match?

This time it is Cameroon who have the ball in the back of the net, but once again it is disallowed. It is a much easier decision for the linesman on the other side this time, with Eto'o a few yards off as the ball came back in following a cleared corner.

Really good defending from Moreno as he responds quickly to danger, sweeping up behind the defence to make a last-ditch challenge on Eto'o. That was a very important tackle.

Cameroon have just started to ease their way into the match in the last five minutes or so and they are causing a few problems from corners. They have the physical edge over what is a fairly lightweight Mexican side, and that is evident from set pieces.

OFF THE POST! Big chance for the opening goal of the match as Assou-Ekotto makes a superb run down the left flank before playing a low ball into the box for Eto'o. The veteran striker gets a good connection with his first-time left-footed strike, but his effort just clips the outside of the post on its way behind.

SCRAMBLE! Another Cameroon corner causes Mexico problems as they can't quite get it clear. Moting gets his head onto it at the back post under heavy pressure which could well have resulted in a penalty. A goalmouth scramble ensues but Cameroon can't stick it into the back of the net and Mexico just about survive.

Volker Finke has altered his tactics here to prevent Mexico from having such joy down the flanks. It is a wise move from the German as the wing-backs were causing all sorts of problems in the opening exchanges. Since the switch, it is Cameroon who look most likely to break the deadlock.

Choupo-Moting goes into a heavy challenge on Aguilar, which draws calls for a card from the stands. In fairness to the Cameroon man, it was a good challenge. He got the ball, but clattered into Aguilar after, resulting in a free kick in a good position.

CHANCE! What a chance for Mexico to take the lead! The delivery is a superb one deep towards the back post, and Mexico have two players in acres of space to nod it home. Marquez is first in line but just can't get high enough to make a good contact, instead glancing the ball wide and off the forehead of Moreno, who was in a much better position coming in from behind. The skipper may have just cost his side a goal!

DISALLOWED GOAL! My word, Giovani dos Santos has the ball in the back of the net again, but once more the linesman's flag is up! A corner is swung into the box and flicked on at the near post, allowing Giovani to nod home from close range. However, the ball came off a Cameroon player, meaning that Giovani was not offside. It is another shocker from the linesman, who has denied the Mexican striker two perfectly good goals here.

Miguel Herrera is livid on the sidelines, and rightly so. That really is poor from the officials, and in such an important game as well. Victory here would stand either team in good stead to progress from the group, but once again we could be left talking about the officials.

It is debateable whether Giovani dos Santos was offside even if the flick-on came from a Mexican player. The fact that it quite clearly skimmed off the head of Choupo-Moting makes the decision even worse.

Well, if Giovani dos Santos didn't believe in the curse of Friday 13th, he probably does now! He must be feeling hard done by at this point as he was adamant he was onside for both goals. Can he pick himself up and come again? This game is still very finely poised.

The dreadful weather has not dampened the spirits of the fans inside the Arenas das Dunas. The Mexican support must be wondering how and why this game is still 0-0, but they are still making plenty of noise under their umbrellas and anoraks.

Potential flash point as Mbia appears to thrust his forearm into the face of Moreno in midfield. The referee chooses to keep his cards on his pocket, which I think is a good call, but Mbia does need to be careful. A stricter ref may have had stern words there.

Mexico almost get through as Rodriguez slides the ball through towards Peralta, but the ball is fractionally too heavy and runs through to the keeper. That was the right idea from El Tri, but the application was just off.

The referee comes over to have a chat with Miguel Herrera, who is cutting an increasingly frustrated figure on the touchline. He is a volatile figure at the best of times, but he is especially animated following those two disallowed goals - and understandably so.

Marquez strides forward out of defence and slides a low ball into Giovani, who just about reaches it and takes it into the box. However, he never really has it under control and ends up running into Peralta before Cameroon clear.

Penalty shout for Mexico in the closing stages as Chedjou bundles into Giovani inside the box. There was definite contact between the two players and Chedjou didn't get the ball, so it certainly could have been given. However, I think the referee got it right on this occasion.

We will have two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

HALF TIME: Mexico 0-0 Cameroon

Well, well, well. Mexico and Cameroon go into the halfway stage of their match in Natal all square, but that only tells a small part of the story. Mexico have had the ball in the back of the net twice, only to be wrongly denied by the linesman's flag on both occasions. Giovani dos Santos was the unfortunate man to be denied both times, leaving El Tri justifiably feeling hard done by.

The first disallowed goal came in the 11th minute as Herrera shaped a lovely ball into the box for Giovani to volley home from close range having escaped the attention of his marker. It was a close call, but the former Tottenham man held his run superbly and was wrongly denied the opening goal. It was the same story just before the half-hour mark as Dos Santos converted at the back post from a corner after the ball had been flicked on by a Cameroonian player. However, once more, the linesman's flag was up to keep things goalless.

The linesman's horror show aside, we have had an open and exciting game in Natal today. Cameroon came closest in the 21st minute when Assou-Ekotto did brilliantly to set up Eto'o, whose first-time effort clipped the outside of the post on its way behind. It was a tough chance for Eto'o, but he would have felt disappointed at not having converted it.

Moments later, the Africans had another chance as Mexico failed to deal with a corner into the box. Choupo-Moting got his head on it at the back post and a goalmouth scramble ensured, but no Cameroonian player could turn it goalwards as El Tri finally got it away.

Aside from their two perfectly good goals that have been disallowed, Mexico's best chance fell came in the 27th minute as a deep cross towards the back post found two green shirts unmarked. Marquez got there first, but he could only glance it away from goal and, crucially, away from teammate Moreno, who was better placed to nod it in behind his skipper.

In all, the first half belonged to Mexico. Ignoring those two disallowed goals - which have overshadowed the match so far - El Tri have been the better side overall. Cameroon have had their moments, but they have spent most of their time on the back foot defending. They have been forced to push back and deploy almost a back six to quell the influence of the Mexico wing-backs, who were dominating the game in the early stages.

KICKOFF: Cameroon get us back underway for the second half in Natal, and they have made a change at the break. On comes Dany Nounkeu in place of Djeugoue.

CHANCE! Big chance for Mexico to take an early lead at the start of this second half! It was patiently build-up play from El Tri before they upped the tempo, with Giovani just touching the ball into the path of Peralta. The striker only has the keeper to beat, but Itandje does really well to stay big and make a good save.

Song goes into a heavy challenge on Giovani, leaving the group with both feet as he took the man and the ball. It is certainly a painful one for Giovani, but I think the fact that Song got the ball is saving him a card. The referee has been very lenient today.

Good footwork from Choupo-Moting on the left as he beats one man to create space to cross the ball into the middle. However, his delivery deflects off a defender and ends up kindly in the arms of the goalkeeper.

The second half hasn't quite got into the same rhythm as the first yet, but Mexico still have a degree of control over proceedings. Cameroon haven't offered much of an attacking threat since Eto'o hit the post in the 21st minute, so that will need to change if they are nick a win here.

A hint of desperation in tackles from Nkoulou and Assou-Ekotto, but they both get to the ball at full stretch to deny Mexico what would have been good positions. So far, the defence is holding firm, although there is no doubt that they have been given a helping hand in that regard.

YELLOW CARD! The card is finally brandished as Moreno slides in to bring down Mbia, who had beaten the defender with some superb skill. Cameroon now have a free kick in a very promising position...

CLOSE! Oh that is not far away at all! It is Assou-Ekotto who takes it and his effort deflects off the top of the wall, wrong-footing the keeper. Ochoa can only watch helplessly as the ball flies narrowly past the post.

Mexico have had 61% possession in this match so far, and that is an accurate reflection of how the balance of power is lying in this game. It would be something of a smash-and-grab if Cameroon were to nick a goal in this final 30 minutes.

GOAL! Mexico 1-0 Cameroon (Oribe Peralta)

Mexico finally get the breakthrough, and this time there is no question about the validity of it! Herrera slides the ball through to Giovani, who has a clear chance to exorcise the demons from earlier. He is denied by another fine stop from Itandje, but the ball falls to Peralta, who rolls it into the unguarded net.

CHANCE! Another chance for Mexico as Guardado fizzes a fine low ball into the box towards Herrera, but he just can't control it when in acres of space. It was fractionally behind him but, had he brought it under his spell, he would have surely scored.

What have Cameroon got to say about this, then? They have offered very little going forward so far today and need to give Eto'o more support up front. The veteran striker has been isolated for large spells in this match and needs more help if he is to make anything happen.

The game should begin to open up a little now, with Cameroon pushing for another goal and Mexico looking to break for a second that would kill the game off. El Tri are a very attack-minded side, though, so it is unlikely that they will park the bus here.

MEXICO SUB: Mexico make their first change of the afternoon as Guardado makes way to be replaced by Marco Fabian.

Cameroon are beginning to come into this match a little more in an attacking sense now as they realise they have no choice but to pour forward. Mexico's defence is holding firm so far, but the pressure will surely start to build over the final 20 minutes or so.

Cameroon catch Mexico on the break as Moukandjo tears down the right flank. He only has Eto'o in support, however, and his cross is just too far in front of the skipper and goes behind for a goal kick.

MEXICO SUB: What did I say about Mexico being attack-minded? At 1-0 up in a World Cup match they bring on an out-and-out striker. Javier Hernandez replaces the goalscorer Peralta, and the United man will fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet against an increasingly stretched Cameroon defence.

The Mexicans are certainly not parking the bus here! They are committing plenty of men forward at every available opportunity and are looking fairly stretched at times. It is great to see from a neutral point of view, but it may not be wise in terms of seeing out the result.

YELLOW CARD! Nounkeu becomes the second man to enter the book, and he can't have any complaints. He poleaxed Fabian as he looked to get into the box, and Mexico now have a free kick in a good crossing position. That challenge wasn't too far away from being a penalty.

Cameroon pack the area, with all 11 players inside the 18-yard box, to defend the free kick. The initial ball is cleared by Eto'o as far as Layun, who slices a highly ambitious effort a long way over the bar.

CAMEROON SUB: Interesting change for Cameroon as Alex Song makes way to be replaced by Pierre Webo. It is an attacking switch for the Africans, but it also interesting to see Song depart.

The ball breaks to Eto'o in a decent position and he only has one thought in his mind as he collects it. He spins on it and unleashes an effort towards goal, but it takes a touch on its way behind for a corner.

Superb defending from Nounkeu as he denies Fabian what would have surely been a goal. Hernandez darts down the right channel before pulling the ball back into a dangerous area. Fabian goes flying into a sliding challenge to attempt to get the ball, but he meets a brick wall in Nounkeu, who just about gets there first.

Mexico are keeping the ball well here, which is wise play. However, after a decent spell of possession they have a dangerous tendency to give it away cheaply, and then Cameroon immediately look to break in numbers. There is still another big chance in this game, you feel.

Good defending from Rodriguez as he makes a vital clearance in the middle. It was Cameroon's best piece of play of the night as Eto'o slides the ball through to Moukandjo down the wing, but his low cross is turned away by Rodriguez.

Time is running out for Cameroon now. Their record since Italia 90 is dismal, and it appears that it may continue here. Mexico are not showing any major signs of buckling just yet, but they will need to pay full attention until the final whistle. One minor slip in these sodden conditions could have a decisive impact.

Herrera steps in to win the ball in midfield, reading a pass and making the interception. He has the chance to launch a counter-attack, but instead chooses to slow the play down and take it down the wing before finally being outnumbered.

There will be four minutes of added time here. Can Mexico hold out?

CHANCE! Big chance for Cameroon to get a dramatic late equaliser! Moukandjo finds himself unmarked inside the box as a cross arrives, and he gets a good connection on his header. However, Ochoa hurls himself to his right to make a good save, holding onto the ball to boot. Perhaps one for the cameras, but a vital stop nonetheless.

MEXICO SUB: Mexico make their final change of the match as Salcido comes on for Herrera.

WHAT A MISS! Huge chance for Mexico to seal the victory! Layuna wins the ball in an advanced position on the left and immediately looks for Hernandez, who has the penalty area to himself. However, he can't keep his volleyed effort down from close range, blazing it over the bar. It was at an awkward height, but the United man is good enough to bury them.

FULL TIME: Mexico 1-0 Cameroon

The referee brings an end to proceedings in Natal as Mexico get their World Cup campaign underway with a crucial and deserved victory. Oribe Peralta got the decisive goal in the end, but Giovani dos Santos also had two perfectly good strikes disallowed in the first half. For Cameroon, Eto'o struck the outside of the post, but they offered little in an attacking sense and can't have many complaints about the defeat.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was an entertaining encounter as Mexico and Cameroon kicked off the first full day of World Cup action. It is the Central Americans who will be celebrating tonight having picked up the 1-0 victory. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for analysis and out all-new player ratings. If it is more live action you're after, our coverage of Spain vs. Netherlands is just about to start, so check that out. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!

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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023


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