Manchester United star Brian Mbeumo was visibly shaken by Cameroon’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. The African team entered Thursday night’s playoff game knowing that only with a win could it maintain its hopes of qualifying for this summer’s North American tournament.
Mbeumo was included in Cameroon’s starting eleven for their match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Morocco. The match remained deadlocked until the 91st minute. It was then that Prime Minister Mbemba managed to sneak in at the back post and score past United loanee Andre Onana, sparking jubilant cheers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and leaving the Cameroon players devastated.
The result means the Democratic Republic of the Congo will face Nigeria in the final, with the winner securing a spot at this summer’s World Cup.
After Cameroon’s defeat, Mbeumo could not hide his disappointment. Footage shared on social media shows the United forward running down the tunnel alone, pausing only briefly for a quick handshake with the coaching staff, looking visibly irritated.
Mbeumo is now expected to return to United after the international break and begin preparations for the Premier League game against Everton.
The 26-year-old has been an outstanding player for United this season, winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for October. He has scored four goals in his last four Premier League games, including the opening goal in the most recent United game against Tottenham.
United will be without both Cameroon’s Mbeumo and Ivory Coast’s Amad for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations, a competition in which they could miss up to six league games.
United manager Ruben Amorim admitted losing the duo would be a blow, but insisted it would also create opportunities for other players in the squad.
“We were going to struggle a little bit, but we already knew it was going to be an opportunity,” he said. “When you watch practice, there are players who should play.
“But it’s difficult to take some players out of the team for one game, because they are also doing well in training during the match. So other players will have an opportunity to help us.”
“They understand how we want to play, so if we are improving that, changing the characteristics will not change the idea or the momentum of the team. But let’s use Amad and Brian in these games. Overall we will see.”
