World Cup 2022: Aboubakar stunner and Ghana joy light up 'wild' Monday in Qatar

Two games, 11 goals and 4 hours of scintillating tourney football. If lone the World Cup was astir to brighten up each Monday.

And blistery connected the heels of that greeting dainty (at slightest for UK viewers), Ghana went 1 amended than their African rivals by beating South Korea 3-2 successful a breathless Group H encounter.

Two matches that showcased the champion of the World Cup. BBC Sport looks astatine however the past time of aboriginal kick-offs successful Qatar threw up a mates of thrillers.

Cameroon comeback kicks things off

Having matches to ticker conscionable aft meal implicit the past week has been a luxury. It's conscionable a shame the aboriginal games person mostly failed to deliver.

While the archetypal 10:00 GMT kick-off produced 1 of the all-time shocks - Saudi Arabia's comeback triumph implicit Argentina - the adjacent 5 yielded lone 5 goals.

Thankfully, the tourney saved the champion aboriginal crippled for past arsenic Cameroon and Serbia played retired a captivating, topsy-turvy gully astatine Al Janoub Stadium.

• Cameroon keeper Onana asked not to play, says Song

The World Cup often serves up a classical erstwhile you slightest expect it and truthful it proved arsenic 2 teams who failed to people successful their opening crippled engaged successful an enthralling spectacle.

An hr in, Serbia were feeling beauteous bully astir life.

While they fell down to Jean-Charles Castelletto's goal, Strahinja Pavlovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic had enactment Dragan Stojkovic's broadside firmly successful control.

Serbia looked menacing erstwhile they attacked successful numbers. With their defence crumbling and with Brazil to travel successful the last game, Cameroon began to fearfulness the worst.

Then came the Vincent Aboubakar show.

When the striker replaced Martin Hongla, 2 minutes aft Mitrovic enactment Serbia 3-1 up, Cameroon were successful dire request of inspiration.

And lad did helium reply the call.

In the 63rd minute, Aboubakar latched connected to Castelletto's shot implicit the apical of the Serbia defence. Bearing down connected goal, the 30-year-old chopped backmost to suffer Nemanja Maksimovic earlier scooping the shot implicit keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic's 6ft 9in frame.

Aboubakar's nonchalant decorativeness whitethorn person been a effect of him reasoning helium had strayed offside, but erstwhile the extremity was fixed aft a video adjunct referee check, immoderate disappointment made mode for a beaming smile.

Three minutes later, Aboubakar was astatine it again, sprinting wide of the Serbia back-line earlier picking retired Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for the equaliser, sparking chaotic celebrations among the Cameroon fans successful the stands.

'Absolutely staggering'

Serbia couldn't judge it. Neither could Pat Nevin, who was co-commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I ne'er saw that coming - it is perfectly staggering," said the erstwhile Scotland winger.

"This World Cup is wild. A large contention betwixt 2 antithetic styles, I privation each crippled was similar this."

Nevin got his privation arsenic Ghana topped Cameroon's fightback by edging retired South Korea successful hugely melodramatic fashion.

Trailing to Mohammed Salisu and Mohammed Kudus goals astatine half-time, South Korea clawed their mode backmost done Cho Gue-sung's quickfire headed double.

But Ghana, who mislaid 3-2 to Portugal successful their opener, bagged each 3 points acknowledgment to Kudus' debased thrust and immoderate frantic defending successful a nerve-shredding finale.

To adhd further drama, South Korea brag Paulo Bento was sent disconnected aft the last whistle for confronting referee Anthony Taylor amid chaotic scenes that captured the stark opposition of Ghanaian joyousness and Korean heartache.

The Ghana players enjoyed a pre-match opus arsenic they arrived astatine the stadium connected Monday. They astir apt won't halt singing present until they look Uruguay connected Friday.

Ghana's Tariq Lamptey consoles South Korea's Son Heung-min aft the last whistle

Speaking connected BBC One earlier Ghana's win, erstwhile France defender Laura Georges said Morocco's daze triumph implicit Belgium connected Sunday has inspired the African countries successful Qatar.

"I consciousness similar the crippled from yesterday is giving truthful overmuch vigor and inspiration for the African teams," she said.

"Even the teams that are not expected to spell acold successful the contention are saying 'we tin marque it if you spell beardown and spell arsenic a team'."

This World Cup has already fixed america 5 goalless draws. Plenty of the matches truthful acold person failed to drawback fire.

But successful the tussle for knockout places, the world's champion are lighting up football's astir glamorous stage.

• Fifa World Cup: Groups and schedule
• World Cup TV sum guide

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