Switzerland vs. Cameroon final score, result: Breel Embolo nets winner in 2022 World Cup Group G opener

Bryn Palmer

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Switzerland vs. Cameroon final score, result: Breel Embolo nets winner in 2022 World Cup Group G opener image

Cameroon's 20-year wait for a World Cup victory goes on after Switzerland edged a tense opening match in Group G.

Chasing a first finals win since 2002, the Indomitable Lions wasted several good first-half chances, Bryan Mbeumo, Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa all denied by Swiss keeper Yann Sommer.

Switzerland, with three Round of 16 finishes in their last four World Cups, should have taken the lead just before the break when Manuel Akanji headed a corner wide from close range.

But they made the breakthrough three minutes into the second half when Cameroon-born Breel Embolo side-footed home a sweet first-time cross from Xherdan Shaqiri.

Ruben Vargas and substitute Haris Seferovic - in the final minute of added time - could have added further goals for the Swiss, who next face World Cup favourites Brazil – who play their opening match later today against Serbia - on Monday, November 28.  

Cameroon must lift themselves up from an eighth successive World Cup defeat before tackling Serbia, also on Monday.

MORE: Updated World Cup bracket

Confirmed lineups:

Switzerland (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Sommer (GK) — 5. Akanji, 4. Elvedi 13. Rodriguez — 3. Widmer, 17. Vargas, 10. Xhaka, 8. Freuler, 15. Sow — 23. Shaqiri, 7. Embolo

Cameroon (4-3-3, right to left): 23. Onana (GK) — 19. Fai, 21. Castelletto, 3. N'Koulou, 25. Tolo — 18. Hongla 14. Gouet, 8. Anguissa — 20. Mbeumo, 12. Ekambi 13. Choupo-Moting

The Sporting News was tracking live scoring updates and highlights throughout the 2022 World Cup match. See below for complete results from this Group G encounter in Qatar.

Switzerland vs. Cameroon final score

  1H 2H Final
Switzerland 0 1 1
Cameroon 0 0 0

Goals:

SWI — Breel Embolo (48th min)

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Switzerland vs. Cameroon live updates, highlights from 2022 World Cup

FULL-TIME: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon

96th min: That's it! No time for Cameroon. They'll have regrets for sure about this one, but it's a precious opening victory for Switzerland.

95th min: Chance to finish it! Swiss substitute Haris Seferovic dummies one defender and shoots left footed, but a brilliant last-ditch block Jean-Charles Castelletto diverts it for a corner. 

90th min: Switzerland make a final change as defender Eray Comert replaces Ricardo Rodriguez. We'll have six minutes of added time.

87th min: A first sight at goal today for Swiss captain Granit Xhaka, who we know can hit them. But his shot is straight at Cameroon keeper Andre Onana.

84th min: Switzerland are claiming the ball hit the arm of Cameroon's Gael Ondoua in the area, but he didn't know much about that. No penalty. Correct call.  In the aftermath Swiss defender Manuel Akanji picks up a yellow card for a late challenge.

82nd min: Promising break for the Swiss as Rieder, just on, puts in a dangerous cross from the left but Cameroon get bodies back to force it out for a corner. 

80th min: The game has lost its momentum with all these substitutions. One more for Switzerland as Vargas takes his leave, with Fabian Rieder replacing him.

74th min: More changes for Cameroon, with Vincent Aboubakar and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou replacing Choupo-Moting and Nouhou Tolo.

72nd min: Triple substitution for the Swiss. Haris Seferovic, Noah Okafor and Fabian Frei are on, as Shaqiri, Embolo and Sow depart. Will Embolo's goal prove to be the winner, or can Cameroon find an equalizer? 

70th min: First change for Cameroon sees Gael Ondoua replacing Martin Hongla in midfield.

67th min: Another hairy moment for Cameroon as Anguissa gets to a dangerous cross just ahead of Breel Embolo to steer it out for a corner.

66th min: All happening now. Switzerland break out and Ruben Vargas, free in the middle, must score...but Cameroon keeper Andre Onana produces a superb save. 

65th min: Bryan Mbeumo swings in a corner that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa heads straight at Yann Sommer.

64th min: Swiss defender Nico Elvedi takes a yellow card for the team as he pulls back Choupo-Moting. 

62nd min: Choupo-Moting looking a bit deflated as he tries to find an opening before reluctantly laying it off to a team-mate. Switzerland then break out swiftly, but Cameroon are swiftly back on the attack but Martin Hongla is too isolated. End to end at the moment. 

57th min: Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting weaves his way into the Swiss penalty area and cuts inside Manuel Akanji on the byline, but then opts to go for goal himself from a ridiculously tight angle, making it an easy save for Yann Sommer. Really needed to cut it back for a team-mate there.

54th min: That goal must have been a sickener for Cameroon after their promising first-half display. But they are responding well here, stretching the Swiss defence.

48th min: Told you! GOAL TO SWITZERLAND! Lovely move finds its way to Xherdan Shaqiri on the right, and his first-time cross finds Breel Embolo in splendid isolation in the middle. The Monaco striker side-foots it home with his right foot. 

Watch if you're in the USA:

46th min: We're back under way at the Al Janoub Stadium. I don't want to worry you, but my last three World Cup games have all finished 0-0.  But surely goals in this one...

HALF-TIME: Switzerland 0-0 Cameroon

Cameroon have had several good chances, but Switzerland had the best one of the first half right at the end there through Akanji. Decent game so far. 

45th min+1: Huge chance for Switzerland! Manuel Akanji, on the edge of the six-yard box, rises all alone to meet a corner from the left but the Manchester City defender can only glance his header wide of the right-hand post. Big let-off for Cameroon.

45th min: We'll have two minutes of time added on.

41st min: The closest Switzerland have come to scoring as Nico Elvedi gets his head to Reuben Vargas's corner but it drifts narrowly wide of the left post. Close!

40th min: Breel Embolo races into the Swiss box and is just about to pull the trigger but defender Jean-Charles Castelletto times his tackle to perfection. Corner.

Watch if you're in Canada:

36th min: First booking of the game to Cameroon's Collins Fai. He's not happy about it, but it's not his first offence.

34th min: Cameroon straight back on the attack as Martin Hongla crosses from the right, but Swiss defender Sylvan Widmer does enough to knock Karl Toko Ekambi out of his stride as he tries to get on the end of it. 

33rd min: Switzerland weaving some pretty patterns in midfield now, Ruben Vargas releasing Sylvan Widmer to the right byline. The full-back whips in a dangerous cross but Cameroon get it clear.

29th min: More enterprising play from the Indomitable Lions, with Mbeumo playing a one-two with Choupo-Moting before slipping a pass inside for Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, whose shot is saved by Yann Sommer. 

23rd min: Flowing build-up from Cameroon, with Bryan Mbeumo cutting inside from the right flank and weaving his way past several defenders into the area. The Swiss are forced to concede a corner, but nothing comes of it.

14th min: Cameroon looking to spring Choupo-Moting at every opportunity on the counter-attack and the Bayern striker is haring through on goal. But Manuel Akanji does just enough to put him off his stride and his left-foot effort lacks the power to trouble Swiss keeper Yann Sommer. Again, the better option might have been a pass to Mbeumo in the middle.

Watch if you're in Canada:

13th min: Switzerland on the attack now, Shaqiri slipping in Breel Embolo, but the striker is clearly offside as he is bundled off the ball.  

10th min: First chance of the game! Bryan Mbeumo races onto a lovely through ball into the Swiss penalty area. It's a difficult angle but the Brentford man hits a decent shot that Yann Sommer beats away. Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting was screaming for a pass in the middle...

Watch if you're in the USA: 

6th min: Opportunity for Cameroon to sling a free-kick into the box. Bryan Mbeumo swings it in but the Swiss clear with some comfort. A pretty cagey opening so far. 

3rd min: Xherdan Shaqiri, playing in in fourth World Cup for Switzerland, has started on the right flank, but clearly has a licence to roam. The 31-year-old is the top scorer in the Swiss squad, with 26 international goals to his name.

1st min: And we're off...

1 min from kickoff: The Swiss, quarterfinalists at Euro 2020, gather in a huddle for a few final words of inspiration. 

5 mins from kickoff: The teams have made their entrance and it's time for the anthems. Switzerland first. And now Cameroon...  

10 mins from kickoff: Nice moment out on the pitch as Cameroon legend Roger Milla receives an award as the oldest player to have scored a goal at a World Cup - at the grand old age of 42 in 1994. Imagine that. 

15 mins from kickoff: Imagine the tension in the dressing room now as the final messages are being delivered. Cameroon coach, Rigobert Song, the most capped player in his nation's history, might be saying something along the lines of 'Keep your discipline, don't lose your heads'. 

Song is the only player, along with a certain Zinedine Zidane, to have been sent off in two different World Cups - first as a 17-year-old against Brazil in 1998, then again against Chile four years later. 

30 mins from kickoff: Cameroon famously made it to the quarterfinals in 1990 after stunning defending champions Argentina in the opening game. This will be their eighth World Cup - more than any other African nation - but their recent record at the tournament is poor.

The Indomitable Lions have won just one of their last 15 matches dating back to 1994, and begin this campaign hoping to avoid an eight-game losing streak at the finals stretching back to 2002, when they beat Saudi Arabia.  Is this the day that miserable sequence ends?

45 mins from kickoff: And here is the Switzerland team. First-choice goalkeeper Yann Sommer is fit after an ankle injury and in-form Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka captains the side. 

Striker Haris Seferovic, a key player in recent years, starts on the bench after struggling for form at club level this season, with former Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri joining Breel Embolo up front. 

1hr from kickoff: The Cameroon team is out. Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting captains the side, and will be joined in attack by Lyon's Karl Toko Ekambi and Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo, a recent recruit for the Indomitable Lions. 

1 hr 15 mins from kickoff: This is one of seven matches - including one in the round of 16 - taking place at the Al Janoub Stadium, in Al Wahrah on the shores of the Persian Gulf. The stadium's design was inspired by the sails of traditional Dhow boats, used by pearl divers from the region. The bowed beams which hold up the roof resemble a ship's hull.

1 hr 30 mins from kickoff:  This will be the first ever meeting between Switzerland and Cameroon, and only the second time the Swiss have faced African opposition at a World Cup. They beat Togo 2-0 back in 2006. 

2 hrs from kickoff: Just two hours to go!

Cameroon will be desperate to have an impact on this tournament after missing out in 2018. Who could make the difference for Song's men?

Striker Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, 33, is one of the few Cameroonian players competing at the top level with their club. His six goals in 10 matches for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich makes him an immediate eye-catcher in this side. 

Bryan Mbeumo is also a fascinating inclusion. After coming through the youth ranks with the French team, a meeting with Samuel Eto'o led to him declaring his allegiance to Cameroon just three months before the World Cup. 

Mbeumo has brought a great deal of excitement to the Premier League since he was promoted with Brentford in 2021. Will Cameroon's newly adopted attacker provide a spark in Qatar?

2.5 hrs from kickoff: As we draw closer to kickoff, let's take a closer look at who could turn the tide in favour of Switzerland.

The Swiss national team is hard to picture without the dancing feet of Xherdan Shaqiri. His 109 caps and 26 goals make him their third most capped player. He has also scored four goals at World Cups. Three of them came in the same game.

Captain Granit Xhaka has been fundamental in the superb early-season form of Arsenal, and will be hoping to carry that onto the biggest stage in Qatar. 

Also in stellar Premier League form is ball-playing centre-back, Fabian Schär. He will want to make the same impact at the World Cup as he has with Newcastle United. 

3 hrs from kickoff: Cameroon coach, Rigobert Song, is also the most capped player in Cameroon history. He featured in four World Cups as a player for Cameroon, in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010.

In 2010, Song lined up next to Nicolas Nkoulou, Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, all of whom feature in Cameroon's 2022 World Cup squad under his stewardship. 

Song only won one World Cup game with Cameroon, a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in 2002. Will he have more luck as head coach?

3.5 hrs from kickoff: Interestingly, Group G at this World Cup is almost identical to Group E from the 2018 tournament, with Switzerland, Brazil and Serbia all in the same group in Russia. The only exception is Cameroon, who failed to qualify for that tournament. 

In 2018, it was Brazil and Switzerland who qualified for the knockout stages. Can Cameroon announce their return to the World Cup by snatching a ticket to the round of 16?

4 hrs from kickoff: Switzerland and Cameroon have been in contrasting runs of form in recent tournaments.

Switzerland progressed to the knockout stages in both their most recent World Cup outings, falling to Argentina (2014) and Sweden (2016) in round of 16 clashes. In Euro 2020 they went one step further and famously knocked out France to reach the quarter-finals, where they lost on penalties to Spain.

Cameroon return to the World Cup stage after their absence in 2018. They begin this campaign hoping to avoid an eight-game losing streak at World Cup finals, tracing back to 2002.

However, they could be on an upward trajectory after finishing third in the African Cup of Nations which they hosted last year. 

4.5 hrs from kickoff: Both Switzerland and Cameroon have got their work cut out for them in a very difficult Group G. 

With the star-studded Brazil squad expected to claim top spot, they will need to hit the ground running in the battle for second place with Serbia. 

Barring a shock result in one of Brazil’s matches, the fixtures between the other three teams in Group G will prove decisive in who goes through. 

5 hrs from kickoff: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the Group G clash between Switzerland and Cameroon. Keeping up with all the World Cup action so far? The games are coming thick and fast, and this one has the potential to be an exciting clash of styles as the well-drilled Swiss go up against the intent and energy of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. Stay tuned for all the updates!

Switzerland vs Cameroon lineups, team news

Switzerland confirmed lineup (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Sommer (GK) — 5. Akanji, 4. Elvedi 13. Rodriguez — 3. Widmer, 17. Vargas, 10. Xhaka, 8. Freuler, 15. Sow — 23. Shaqiri, 7. Embolo

Switzerland's first-choice goalkeeper Yann Sommer suffered an ankle injury in early October but played the full 90 minutes in the recent friendly defeat to Ghana and has been passed fit to start. Striker Haris Seferovic, who has proved key in recent years for his national side, has struggled for form at club level this season and has to settle for a place on the bench with Xherdan Shaqiri joining Breel Embolo up front. 

Cameroon confirmed lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 23. Onana (GK) — 19. Fai, 21. Castelletto, 3. N'Koulou, 25. Tolo — 18. Hongla 14. Gouet, 8. Anguissa — 20. Mbeumo, 12. Ekambi 13. Choupo-Moting

Cameroon are one of few teams in Qatar without any notable injuries – and they'll be hoping that luck continues throughout the tournament. Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting captains the side, and will be joined in attack by Karl Toko Ekambi and Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo, a recent recruit to the Indomitable Lions. 

Switzerland vs. Cameroon live stream, TV channel

The match will start at 1 p.m. local time at the Al Janoub Stadium. Here's how that translates to timezones around the world.

  Date Time TV Channel Streaming
USA Thu, Nov. 24 05:00 ET FS1, Telemundo  fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock Premium
Australia Thu, Nov. 24 21:00 AEDT SBS SBS On Demand
UK Thu, Nov. 24 10:00 GMT ITV, STV ITVX, STV Player
Canada Thu, Nov. 24 05:00 EST TSN TSN app
Hong Kong Thu, Nov. 24 18:00 HKT — Now TV
India Thu, Nov. 24 15:30 IST Sports18 Voot, JioTV
Malaysia Thu, Nov. 24 18:00 MYT Astro Astro Go
Singapore Thu, Nov. 24 18:00 SGT — MeWatch, Singtel, StarHub
New Zealand Thu, Nov. 24 23:00 NZDT Sky Sports Sky Go NZ

Watch the match on fuboTV in USA:

Bryn Palmer

Bryn Palmer Photo

Bryn is an experienced digital journalist after many years working on the BBC Sport website in a variety of editorial roles, specialising in live coverage of major events across a range of sports including football, rugby and Olympic Games.