Nouhou's reputation for going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest stars on the planet continues to rise.Â
On Monday, Nouhou and Cameroon squared off against Brazil in the final match of Group G. Not only did he play 90 minutes and pick up an impressive 1-0 win, but the Seattle Sounders' left back put in a vintage defensive performance against some of the top attacking talents in the world.
For much of the match, Nouhou was tasked with defending Manchester United's $100 million signing Antony on the left-hand side. Nouhou largely dominated the head-to-head matchup - so much so that most of Brazil's attacking forays ended up coming down the opposite flank. After struggling to find much success down Nouhou's side, Brazil's head coach swapped Barcelona winger Raphinha in for Antony in the second half, but once again the Sounders defender got the better of his duels.
Nouhou's success against Brazil is just the continuation of a trend at the international level for the Sounders left back. At the most recent African Cup of Nation, Nouhou turned plenty of heads with his lockdown defending against Liverpool's Mo Salah and Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez.Â
Cameroon's shutout victory over the FIFA World Cup favorites snapped a 17-game unbeaten streak in the group stage for Brazil. It also marked the South American giant's first defeat since falling to Argentina in the 2021 Copa America final.
Ultimately the result in the other match in Group G -- Switzerland won 3-2 over Serbia -- meant that Cameroon's historic victory wasn't enough to book a spot in the Round of 16. Nouhou concludes his first trip to the World Cup with three starts in which he played the full 90 minutes.
