Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored twice as Cameroon overcame weeks of internal turmoil to secure a 4-1 victory over the Cape Verde Islands in their World Cup qualifier in Yaoundé on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
This win places them level with Libya at the top of Group D, each with seven points from their opening three matches in the preliminaries for the next World Cup finals.
Centre-back Michael Ngadeu, marking his return to the team after a two-year absence, opened the scoring in the 13th minute. He powerfully headed home Nicolas Ngamaleu’s corner to put Cameroon in the lead.
The left winger also provided the assist for the second goal 12 minutes later, delivering a strong cross that Aboubakar converted from close range as the opposing defense faltered.
Cape Verde’s Jamiro Monteiro pulled a goal back in the 37th minute, sprinting past the home defense to score before goalkeeper Andre Onana could intervene.
However, Cameroon quickly restored their two-goal advantage. A foul on Ngamaleu by Deroy Duarte resulted in a penalty, which Aboubakar successfully converted.
Cameroon extended their lead to 4-1 in the 54th minute when a cross into the opposing box was headed forward by Ngadeu and finished off by Nouhou Tolo.
The home side’s triumph was sealed when Onana saved a stoppage-time penalty from Kevin Pina.
Cameroon, who have appeared in more World Cups than any other African nation, faced a potential setback in their bid for a ninth appearance in North America in 2026 due to a conflict between the country’s football federation and sports ministry.
The government appointed Belgian Marc Brys as the new coach in April, a decision made without consulting football federation president Samuel Eto’o. Initially rejecting Brys, Eto’o later accepted the appointment under political pressure but insisted on including his own choices in the technical team. This led to several weeks of negotiations and power plays, including withholding training equipment from the team, before a compromise was reached.
(Reuters)
