Ajara Nchout's dramatic stoppage-time strike gave Cameroon a 2-1 win over New Zealand and ensured the African side progressed to a last 16 clash with England in the Women's World Cup.
Nchout admitted she was aware of the weight on her shoulders in the seconds before she fired Cameroon into the last 16 at the Women's World Cup.
Asked at the post-match press conference what was going through her mind as she prepared to shoot, she said: "When I got the ball in the 95th minute, I thought, 'Okay, there is so much on my shoulders'. But I took a bit of time, I kept a cool head and then I shot on goal.
"We had been waiting for this moment for a long time. In 2015, we got to the round of 16, so we really wanted to do ourselves proud. We didn't want to just stumble through, we wanted to prove that we are the Lionesses."
Cameroon snatched victory at the death when Nchout scored her second of the game in the fifth minute of stoppage time just when it looked as though Aurelle Awona's 80th-minute own goal would prevent them from making it to the knockout stage.
New Zealand had been pressing for a winner themselves after being handed a way back into the game, and coach Tom Sermanni insisted there were positives to take.
He said: "You always have a feeling of failure when you don't win any games.
"I don't think the word failure is the right word, you just come up against teams that are a little bit better - teams like the Netherlands and today - so we'll just have to look back at that.
Chile miss penalty to miss out
Francisca Lara blew Chile's chance to dramatically claim a place in the last 16 of the Women's World Cup.
Needing to beat Thailand by three clear goals in their final Group F game to set up a showdown with England, Chile were leading 2-0 courtesy of an own goal from goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing and Maria Jose Urrutia when VAR awarded an 85th-minute penalty.
With history beckoning for La Roja in their debut World Cup tournament, Lara rattled her spot-kick against the crossbar, allowing Nigeria to claim the last of the four places open to the best third-placed sides.
Lara's missed penalty was one of a host of chances missed by Chile during a pulsating match in Rennes as they laid siege to the Thai goal for most of the game.
Thursday's results
- Group E: Cameroon 2-1 New Zealand
- Group E: Netherlands 2-1 Canada
- Group F: Sweden 0-2 United States
- Group F: Thailand 0-2 Chile
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