Cameroon became the first country to be knocked out of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to Denmark.
Africans let early lead slip and pay the ultimate price
Cameroon became the first country to be knocked out of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to a Dennis Rommedahl-inspired Denmark.
The Group E result also guarantees Holland's progression to the knockout stages after they had secured their second win earlier on Saturday.
Paul Le Guen's African side took the lead inside 10 minutes in the Loftus Versfeld Stadium as Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o capitalised on a defensive error from the Danes.
Denmark refused to buckle, though, and were level before the break as Rommedahl produced a pinpoint cross for Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner to thump home.
Morten Olsen's side emerged as the better side after the break and were worthy of their lead when a fine individual goal from Rommedahl handed them the lead on 61 minutes.
They will now go head to head with Japan in Rustenburg on Thursday to determine who joins the Dutch in the last 16.
Early chances
It was the Danes who offered the biggest threat on goal first as Rommedahl latched onto a through ball from Martin Jorgensen before fizzing a powerful, angled shot just over the crossbar on seven minutes.
Two minutes later, Geremi produced the game's first shot on target as he drilled a wide free-kick straight at Denmark keeper Thomas Sorensen.
Cameroon did not have long to wait for their opener, however, as Pierre Webo latched onto a loose pass from Denmark's Christian Poulsen before teeing up an unmarked Eto'o, who took his time before drilling the ball past the helpless Sorensen.
The Africans sensed fear in the Danes and began to take the game to them, with Achille Emana bending a powerful long-range effort narrowly off target on 13 minutes.
Olsen's side rode out the storm in the minutes that followed and began to come into the game with some half-chances of their own.
Le Guen's side were still on top by the half-hour mark, but a fantastic Danish move on 33 minutes cut the Cameroonian defence apart.
A pinpoint diagonal ball from Simon Kjaer caught out left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto as Rommedahl collected in behind him before producing a perfect low cross for Bendtner to steer home with Souleymanou Hamidou stranded in Cameroon's goal.
The game sprung even further into life five minutes before the break as a series of individual errors created chances at either end of the field.
Alex Song gifted Denmark possession in the centre of the field and they quickly broke with Rommedahl cutting inside from the wing and teeing up Jon Dahl Tomasson, whose goal-bound shot was blocked in its tracks by the redeemed Song.
Moments later, a lapse in concentration in the Danish defence allowed Eto'o space to shoot on the edge of the box but his effort came back off the base of the post with Sorensen beaten.
Second half
Cameroon came out of the traps with venom at the beginning of the second half as Stephane Mbia headed just over the Danish bar from a corner inside the opening minute of the restart.
Half-time substitute Daniel Jensen, who replaced Jorgensen, made a significant contribution from the off as his well-timed last-ditch tackle prevented a goalscoring opportunity for Assou-Ekotto moments later.
Webo showed his threat on 60 minutes as he controlled with his back to goal and shot on the turn, forcing Sorensen to make a save to his right.
Just after the hour mark, the Danes took the lead for the first time in the match and it was the instrumental Rommedahl who got the goal this time around.
Creator of the first, the Ajax winger collected another cross-field ball and held up the play before cutting inside Assou-Ekotto and bending a delightful left-foot shot into the far bottom corner.
Sebastien Bassong shot over the bar before Emana drilled wide from range as Cameroon desperately searched for an equaliser after falling behind, but the Danes were defending well in large numbers.
Inviting pressure, Denmark remained a threat on the break and there was no flag when Rommedahl timed his run to perfection and teed up Tomasson, who saw his shot well saved by Hamidou.
Cameroon began to run out of ideas and were reduced to trying their luck from range, as Song did unsuccessfully on 74 minutes.
With Bassong already in the book for unsporting behaviour, team-mate Mbia joined him for a cynical tackle on substitute Thomas Kahlenberg with a quarter of an hour remaining.
On 78 minutes, Sorensen heroically denied Emana a certain equaliser with a fine save at full stretch when the Real Betis midfielder burst through on goal after collecting a lofted through ball.
Substitute Mohammadou Idrissou should have done better with a close-range header with just five minutes left on the clock, but the Freiburg striker could only nod over the bar when unmarked at the back-post.
It proved to be the last chance for Cameroon to salvage a point and the Africans become the first team to be knocked out of the first World Cup held in their continent.
Meanwhile, impressive centre-half Kjaer picked up a yellow card late on, ruling him out of Denmark's final group game against Japan on Thursday.
