Croatia crushes Cameroon 4 - 0 at Arena Amazonia in Manus Wednesday, recovering from its loss against Brazil in the opening match of Group A.
Croatia got the upper hand after scoring a goal early in the first half of the match when Ivan Perisic assisted Ivica Olic to strike a left-footed shot towards the center during the 11th - minute mark of the match.
Cameroon was dominating in terms of possession during the first half, but the tides were changed when a red card was given to them.
Cameroon's Alexandre Song was given a red card when he fought against Mario Mandzukic, giving Croatia an advantage in terms of players.
Ivan Perisic further increased Croatia's lead on the second half of the match after he scored a goal during the 48th - minute mark.
Mario Mandzukic, who was suspended in Croatia's earlier match against Brazil, made a comeback after scoring two goals for the team. Mandzukic attacks with a header on the 62nd - minute mark, and was soon followed up with another goal on the 73rd - minute mark with a close-range right-footed shot.
"It's unimaginable," Cameroon Coach Volker Finke said in a statement in The New York Times. "I saw this happen, and I need to find out exactly what happened, why exactly these two players exploded. I really hate to see that. It's not the image of Cameroon I want to project."
Nevertheless, Cameroon still has a chance of moving on to the second round of the tournament if they manage to outscore Brazil in terms of goal difference.
John Bennett comments on the match on BBC Sports: "It won't be the defeat that hurts the most, it'll be the way the team has played. Too defensive, too cautious, too afraid. The antithesis of what made Cameroon perhaps Africa's most famous football nation."
Croatia will battle against Mexico, stuck up with a goalless draw against Brazil 0 - 0 at Arena Pernambuco in Recife. On the other hand, Cameroon faces Brazil at Estadio Nacional in Brasilia. Both matches will be played on June 23, Monday.
