A goal with the last kick of the game saw Cameroon crush the Football Ferns' hopes of scoring a maiden win at the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals and progressing to the knockout phase of the competition on June 20, the African side themselves achieving that objective with this 2-1 win in front of a tournament-low attendance of just 8,009 fans at Montpellier's Stade de la Mosson. It was a hugely disappointing way for New Zealand's finest to bow out of France 2019, given it was the second time in three matches that the concession of an injury time goal denied them at least a share of the spoils. But it was scoring goals in this tournament - or, rather, not scoring them - which was New Zealand's downfall, their only goal in this match being scored by Cameroon, about which, more later. They certainly tried to break their duck in this encounter, with Annette Ngo Ndom, Cameroon's goalkeeper, first intervening in the tenth minute, cutting out a pass intended for Rosie White after Rebekah Stott, Sarah Gregorius, Katie Bowen and Katie Duncan had combined to unlock the door. "The Indomitable Lionesses" themselves went close two minutes later, during an understandably tight opening phase of a match which both teams had to win in order to advance. Ajara Nchout flicked the ball past Anna Green to Michaela Abam, whose cross to Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene saw Cameroon's star of the tournament unleash a shot past Erin Nayler's left-hand post which had the 'keeper scrambling. Seven minutes later, Nayler - she, Stott and Abby Erceg have been far and away New Zealand's best-performed players at these Finals - pawed away Aboudi Onguene's attempted chip after Raissa Feudjio had pounced on a stray pass and played the ball through to her captain. Back came the Football Ferns, Olivia Chance - the one Kiwi who was offering some sort of "X factor" in these early stages - leading a counter-attack which saw her evade a couple of challenges before Estelle Johnson's intervention. Green sent Gregorius haring through the inside right channel in the 28th minute, the speedster steering the ball inside to find Ria Percival storming forward, but alas just two strides short of latching onto it and almost certainly scoring what would have been the most memorable goal she has netted in her 145 international appearances to date. She had another attempt to break the deadlock ten minutes later, the first shot which Ngo Ndom had to deal with. And Percival was prominent again in the final minute of the half, Ali Riley's raid down the left culminating in a cross which Rosie White flicked on to Bowen, whose cross left Percival with very little chance of making something of what had been a promising raid. On the half-hour, Nayler had saved bravely at the feet of Aboudi Onguene following another through ball from Feudjio, and the 'keeper had to produce the same sort of denial a mere seventeen seconds after the second half had started to thwart the progress of Gaelle Enganamouit, as Cameroon looked to make a lightning-quick start to the second spell. The Football Ferns responded in kind, Riley's cross picking out White, who made light of the two defenders policing her to get in a header which was grabbed by Ngo Ndom. But Cameroon were in the ascendancy, Feudjio sending a twenty-five yard volley swerving wide before a superbly timed tackle from Erceg foiled Aboudi Onguene in the area in the 49th minute, Nchout's clever dummy allowing Feudjio's pass the play in the captain through the inside left channel. It was Stott's turn to thwart Aboudi Onguene's advances three minutes later, Feudjio again the source of Camerooon's inspiration, but it was the overlapping Yvonne Leuko, latching onto her captain's pass three minutes later, who engineered the opening which saw the deadlock broken in the 57th minute. Nchout had plenty still to do, but executed it superbly, her slick turn outwitting both Erceg and Green and allowing the attacking midfielder the yard of space she needed in the penalty area to steer a composed finish across Nayler and into the far corner of the net - a well-taken goal, but one which left the Football Ferns with a mountain to climb. They sought to do so almost immediately, Gregorius

angling a diving header just past the post after Chance and Riley had combined on the left in the 63rd minute, a threat to which Cameroon responded with an attack which sent Nayler's stocks soaring. Feudjio sent Aboudi Onguene away down the right, and after sidestepping Green's sliding tackle, she let fly from close range. Nayler blocked this shot, then the rebound as Aboudi Onguene fired again. The ball fell invitingly for substitute Alexandra Takounda to let fly, but once more, Nayler proved equal to the task - a stunning triple save which was backed up by Green's intervention as she prevented Aboudi Onguene from shooting. The ball broke for Abam, who battered her shot into the side-netting - 1-0 to Cameroon it remained. After Takounda had attempted an extravagant bicycle kick, Nayler cleared her lines as Erceg played the ball back to her under pressure from Aboudi Onguene, which prompted a spell of Football Ferns' pressure culminating in the equaliser. Before it, however, White was denied by Aurelle Awona's tackle after Bowen and substitute Betsy Hassett had teamed up to deliver a cross. The latter then went desperately close to equalising in the 74th minute, Chance and White working a short corner routine which saw White deliver a gem of a cross onto the head of Hassett, who was denied by a superb save low to her right by Ngo Ndom. But Cameroon's 'keeper was beaten ten minutes from time by her defender. Bowen's cross was intended for substitute Hannah Wilkinson, but fell well short of its target, only for Awona to slice her attempted volleyed clearance straight into the net - 1-1. Grandstand finish time, with the Football Ferns first to threaten. Gregorius picked out Wilkinson with a cross which saw the striker - the only Kiwi to have scored at two FIFA Women's World Cup Finals - spurn the chance to shoot herself, instead evading two defenders and squeezing the ball into the stride of Chance, who was falling backwards as she stretched to shoot, thus couldn't direct her effort on target. Back came Cameroon, Nchout being denied by a super Riley tackle as the game entered stoppage time. The Football Ferns countered, Nayler's clearance being flicked on by Erceg - now a makeshift striker - for substitute Annalie Longo, only for Awona to head clear. Abam and Aboudi Onguene both fired shots past the post as Cameroon pressed for a winner, something Tom Sermanni's side was doing in the fifth minute of stoppage time when a Stott pass was intercepted, and "The Indomitable Lionesses" counter-attacked with telling effect. The ball found its way to Aboudi Onguene, who played a pass inside to Nchout. She turned Percival this way and that in order to engineer the room in which to curl a shot around Nayler and into the far corner of the net with what was the last kick of the game - there were eleven seconds left on the clock when Cameroon scored the goal which propelled them into a clash with England in the next round. And which sent the Football Ferns home from France 2019, their quest to win a FIFA World Cup Finals fixture still unfulfilled after this, their fifth such tournament. It was a heartbreaking way for the Kiwis to bow out, especially for those squad members for whom France 2019 will be their last chance to feast at this quadrennial women's footballing fiesta. But bow out they have, with attention now turning towards the Olympic Women's Football Tournament in Japan in thirteen months, an event for which preparation should be far less eventful, something which was far from the case where this FIFA Women's World Cup Finals campaign is concerned. There are issues which need to be addressed by coach Tom Sermanni, however, the most important of which revolves around scoring goals - just six have been struck in thirteen internationals against non-Oceania-based opponents since the start of 2018, only three of which have been won. Cameroon:     Ngo Ndom; Feudjio, Leuko, Ejangue, Johnson, Awona; Abam, Nchout, Yango (Abena, 84), Aboudi Onguene; Enganamouit (Takounda, 54) (booked, 69) F'ball Ferns:     Nayler; Stott, Erceg, Green (booked, 68) (Wilkinson, 68); Bowen, Percival, Chance (Longo, 88), Duncan (Hassett, 68), Riley; White, Gregorius Referee:     Katerina Monzul (Hungary)