Croatia thrash Cameroon

Another team was knocked out of the 2014 World Cup tonight as Croatia steamrolled Cameroon. The match was still in the balance and then Alex Song got sent off six minutes before halftime and the rout was on. Croatia were able to keep their hopes alive and Cameroon can start making tee times.

Croatia came out flying, possibly because they felt wronged in their first game in Brazil or because they were still mad the journalists who took naked pictures of them. Ivan Perišić found a loose ball in the box and played a ball through to Ivica Olić who slammed home to Croatia the 1-0 lead.

Olic opens the scoring

Cameroon seemed to find some life and were able to put some pressure on their opponents.  However, all that pressure was for not when Alex Song appeared to punch Mario Mandžukić in the back.

Song sees red

Cameroon were able to see off the first half without conceding again but the flood gates opened in the second half. Just two minutes into the second frame, Perišić found himself unchallenged as he sprinted down the left wing before slotting past Charles Itandje.

Perišić flying high

Croatia continued to apply the pressure and found another goal just over ten minutes later when Mandžukić headed home from a corner.

Mandžukić heads home

The leaders then took their foot off of the gas a little as they tried to make sure they closed the game out and kept their clean sheet. Mandžukić picked up his second goal when he tapped home a rebound from Eduardo's shot.

Camerooon had a few decent attempts toward the end of the match but were unable to pick up their first goal in Brazil. With the loss, they join Australia and Spain as countries that were eliminated today.

Takeaways:
Man of the Match: Mario Mandžukić
Mandžukić made all of the difference for Croatia in this match. The team looked lost in offense in the first match against Brazil and were much better in this contest, even before Song was sent off. Mandžukić brought a calming presence to the Croatian attack and opened up space for the players in behind him. He also had to classy finishes to close out the game in style.

Their midfield looked a lot better in this match and could provide a challenge against Mexico.

Croatia now have a chance to qualify for the knockout stage with a win over Mexico.

The group closes out on June 23 at 4 pm EST as Brazil takes on Cameroon and Croatia battles Mexico

Qualifying scenarios:
Brazil qualifies with a win or a draw against Cameroon.
Mexico qualifies with a win or draw against Croatia
Croatia goes through with a win or a tie and a loss by Brazil.