Cameroon were unceremoniously bounced out of the World Cup, having failed to register a single point in either of their group E encounters. In fairness, Cameroon were poor in both games and showed very little in terms of ability. The team seemed to be lacking on the pitch and out of its depth. It didn't help any further that Eto'o has had a very poor tournament, unable to shoulder the burden of captaincy possibly and carry the team forward.
The Cameroon vs Denmark encounter was not a particularly brilliant game, and Cameroon was not the only bad team on the pitch by any stretch of the imagination. The defending on both ends was shambolic at times. The experienced Sorensen made numerous errors, passing the ball from the back playing his team into trouble. Midfield was not tight and numerous players were simply allowed to run right through to the opposition penalty area. The only saving grace for both teams was the lack of a finish as both sides missed a number of chances to put the game to bed, or at the very least make it into a shootout. Despite it, Cameroon scored the opener through Eto'o but were eventually undone by a man-of-the-match performance by Rommedahl who set up the first for Bendtner and helped himself to a second.
Paul Le Guen had come into the game with much promise where, despite sticking with his favored 4-3-3 system, he included both Emana and Alex Song in the starting 11. The team started brightly, showing much more hunger and intent than they had in their opener against Japan. Conversely, Denmark were poor in the opening minutes, struggling to hold on to possession and barely making it past the halfway line. The goal seemed to have settled them however as they sat back to soak up pressure to prevent a quick second. As Denmark allowed Cameroon more space, the latter slowly but surely took their foot off the gas. Consequently Denmark slowly crept in more into the game, building well through the excellent Rommedahl as Bendtner led the line effectively. Cameroon struggled to get back in the game. Their midfield play all but completely broke down as they sunk back to the long-ball strategy and long-distance shooting that had so utterly failed in their opener against Japan. In the chances they managed to craft, it all went horribly wrong for them due to poor decision-making and/or wayward shooting. Emana was the main culprit in this, missing a host of chances to get his team back into the game.
As aforementioned, just like in the first game against Japan, star striker Eto'o failed to have the necessary impact on the game. Even with Emana on the pitch, he failed to put himself in good positions and rarely threatened, apart from his 10th minute goal and another shot he smashed against the upright. A disappointing performance by his own high standards. Indeed we would have expected better from the Internazionale and Champions League winning striker. A lot has always been made about Eto'o and his performances once he dons the national shirt of the Indomitable Lions. Some say that he lacks the true drive and national pride to perform at the top of his ability. Others say that he lacks the support he does when playing for Barcelona and now Inter, and thus struggles to replicate his club form. We could look at the fact remains that Eto'o did not enjoy the most prolific of seasons. Under Mourinho, and due to the presence of Nerazzurri hitman Diego Milito, Eto'o has been made to play on the right wing as opposed to his favored center-forward role. Le Guen replicated this experiment in the first game against Japan, but to no good effect. He was however the focus of the attack in the game against Denmark. Starved of service, he'd be seen drop into midfield but could rarely link up to any good effect.
The issue remains that Eto'o's World Cup performances have been pedestrian at best. He truly seems disinterested and unwilling to put in the effort. Surely Eto'o boasts of the talent and ability to at least have an impact against the likes of Japan and Denmark. One contributor, as much of an excuse as it is, could be the controversial statement made by Cameroon legend Roger Milla. In effect Milla came out before the tournament with a statement in Agence France Presse saying that Eto'o "has not contributed much to the national team compared to his club contributions for Barcelona and Inter Milan." The statement fueled much controversy within Cameroon, polarizing opinions and leading Eto'o to respond in an open letter to Milla and the Cameroonian fans. Indeed the spat between the two may have very well distracted Eto'o as, according to ESPNsoccernet reports, he had even threatened to quit the team in the wake of Milla's statement.
Whatever the reason might be, it was a disappointing performance by Cameroon and even more so from Eto'o. The Cameroon all-time leading top-scorer should have surely been able to muster up more than he has so far. With Cameroon's final game being nothing more than a formality, but nevertheless against Holland, let us hope that Cameroon and Eto'o can sign off with a more inspiring display and leave with some shred of pride.
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