Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana found himself excluded from Cameroon’s starting lineup in the critical Africa Cup of Nations Group C decider against Gambia in Bouaké on Tuesday.
In a thrilling conclusion, Cameroon secured a 3-2 victory in the dying minutes, advancing to the round of 16 after finishing as the Group C runners-up.
Onana had already missed the opening group game, a 1-1 draw against Guinea, due to a special dispensation to play for Manchester United in a Premier League clash against Tottenham on January 14. However, his delayed arrival, hindered by adverse weather conditions at Abidjan airport, caused him to miss the match.
Despite returning to the starting XI for Cameroon’s second game, Onana’s performance was marred by errors, contributing to Senegal’s 3-1 win. Reports circulating before the crucial match against Gambia, indicating Onana’s exclusion by head coach Rigobert Song, proved accurate as Fabrice Ondoa, Onana’s cousin, assumed the role of the starting goalkeeper.
Nimes’ Ondoa, a Nations Cup winner with Cameroon in 2017, previously started in Onana’s absence during the draw against Guinea.
Cameroon, despite garnering only one point from the initial two matches, progressed to the knockout stages with the victory over Gambia. Failure to advance would have meant their first group-stage elimination since 2015.
Onana’s omission from this pivotal fixture adds another chapter to his tumultuous international career, marked by decisions such as opting out of the 2017 AFCON and facing exclusion during the 2022 World Cup due to disagreements about his playing style.
After a retirement from international football in 2023 following a dispute with FA President Samuel Eto’o, Onana returned to the national team in December.
