The Albany Gazette - Mbeumo faces double Cameroon challenge at AFCON

With veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar surprisingly axed, the responsibility for scoring falls heavily on the 26-year-old who moved to Old Trafford from Brentford last July.

Goals have been hard to come by for the Indomitable Lions lately as they failed to find the net in two crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Needing maximum points at home against Angola two months ago to have any hope of automatic qualification, Cameroon managed only a 0-0 draw.

Given a second chance to qualify a month later as one of the best four African group runners-up, Cameroon fell 1-0 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a play-off and were eliminated.

For Cameroon supporters, recalling the past exploits of star strikers like Roger Milla, Patrick Mboma and Samuel Eto'o, consecutive blanks were difficult to accept.

Mbeumo started in both matches, but poor service from midfield and tight marking meant scoring opportunities were scarce.

Aboubakar was the eight-goal leading scorer in the 2022 AFCON as hosts Cameroon finished third behind Senegal and Egypt.

It was an outstanding performance in the modern era of the premier African football tournament, finishing just one goal shy of matching the 1974 record of Congolese Ndaye Mulamba.

But Mbeumo was left without a potentially key partner in attack when new Cameroon coach David Pagou omitted Aboubakar from the Morocco-bound squad.

- Low morale -

"We wanted to do things differently. They are good players, but we set our sights on others to create a different mindset," said Pagou, referring to Aboubakar and goalkeeper Andre Onana.

While Mbeumo seeks goals in Group F against Gabon, title-holders Ivory Coast and Mozambique, he must also shoulder the additional responsibility of succeeding Aboubakar as captain.

He must lift a team whose morale is low after their failure to qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Cameroon hold the African record for World Cup appearances with eight. Losing out to Group D winners Cape Verde, a west African archipelago with a population of just 525,000, was a bitter blow.

Mbeumo was born in eastern France to a Cameroonian father and a French mother, making him eligible to represent either country.

He played underage football for France before switching his international allegiance to Cameroon. His highlight so far with the Indomitable Lions was competing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

At club level, he spent one season with Troyes in France, then six with Brentford, helping the London club gain promotion to the Premier League.

He formed a dynamic attacking partnership with Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yoane Wissa at the Bees -- both scored in the same match six times last season.

It was a feat matched only by Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo in the 2024-25 Premier League.

His six goals this season for United include a brace in a 4-2 home victory over Brighton.

(K.Jones--TAG)