Cameroon forward Vincent Aboubakar made a fairly remarkable mistake during Friday’s World Cup match, and he did it after scoring a goal, no less.
Aboubakar scored a header in the 92nd minute against tournament favorite Brazil to give Cameroon an unlikely 1-0 victory in their Group G finale. The forward immediately pulled off his shirt in celebration upon scoring, which is hardly an unprecedented move in soccer.
What was unprecedented is the fact that Aboubakar received a red card for it. A player who takes off their shirt gets an automatic yellow card, and Aboubakar had already received his first yellow earlier in the match. That meant he was getting a second, which is an automatic red card and ejection.
Vincent Aboubakar, what an incredible header. pic.twitter.com/kHke9dBiNG
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) December 2, 2022
Aboubakar knew it, too, and he even seemed to have a little laugh with the referee as he was shown the red card.
Aboubakar celebrates his goal for Cameroon by taking off his shirt, and then is sent off for a second yellow card 😅 pic.twitter.com/JubSqTAX1L
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 2, 2022
Cameroon had to finish the game with ten men, though they saw out the 1-0 win anyway. The victory ultimately did not matter, as Switzerland beat Serbia to clinch the second knock-out berth out of the group.
Presumably, Aboubakar knew the situation and did it anyway. That would have been awkward had Cameroon advanced, though, with the forward facing an automatic suspension for the sending off.
