Confederations Cup 2017 | Germany set up semi-final clash against Mexico while Chile to take on Portugal

Confederations Cup 2017 | Germany set up semi-final clash against Mexico while Chile to take on Portugal

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Germany thrashed Cameroon 3-1 in their last group B game to finish at the top of the table and will now take on Mexico in the semi-finals of the tournament. Meanwhile, Chile drew 1-1 with a gritty Australian side to finish second in the group and set up a semi-final clash against Portugal.

World Champions Germany made a slow start to the match with their first attempt at the Cameroon goal coming in the 20th minute courtesy an off-target Emre Can shot from outside the box. The German side then continued on the offensive and Joshua Kimmich should have converted Marvin Plattenhardt's fine left-wing cross after finding open space in the box but he misjudged the header to leave a promising chance to go by.  

On the other hand, Cameroon were on target towards the end of the first half with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's effort tipped over the post by an acrobatic Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Kerem Demirbay scored for the World Champions three minutes after the resumption of the game when fed by a brilliant pass from skipper Julian Draxler. Cameroon's condition in the match further deteriorated when Ernest Mabouka was sent off in the 78th minute for a dangerous tackle. 

Timo Werner doubled the lead for the Germans with a diving header off a bouncing pass from Kimmich. However, the 10-man Cameroon tried to fight back by reducing the deficit to a single goal through Vincent Aboubakar with 12 minutes of play still remaining. However, Werner scored his second of the match in the 81st minute to put the match beyond Cameroon and finish at the helm of group B.

Meanwhile, Chile advanced to the semi-finals after coming from behind to equalise against a gritty Australian side who wasted numerous chances to take a formidable lead over their Chilian counterparts. James Troisi opened the scoring in the match after lobbing the ball over Claudio Bravo in the 42nd minute to help the Aussies take a lead. The Australian defence then resolutely stood their ground and prevented the Chile attack from getting past them. However, a lapse in concentration saw Chile equalise in the 67th minute through Martin Rodriguez after the defence failed to clear the ball. The Australian side then missed multiple chances again in a fast-paced match which eventually resulted in their elimination from the tournament.  

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