Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United was extremely disappointed when his World Cup dream with Cameroon team was turned into smoke. The "Incestuous Lions" must win the play-off against Congo to continue to nurture the hope of participating in the biggest football festival on the planet.
Mbeumo started for Cameroon in the match against Congo in Morocco. The match was at a standstill for 90 minutes, before the drama broke out in the 91st minute.
Right at the decisive moment, Chancel Mbemba suddenly rushed down and shot the ball against the post before going into the net, passing goalkeeper Andre Onana. The goal in the 91st minute made the Congo team burst into joy, while the Cameroonian players collapsed in disappointment when the match ended.
This result means Congo will face Nigeria in the play-off final. And the winning team will qualify for the World Cup this summer.
After Cameroon's defeat, Mbeumo could not hide their disappointment. A video circulating on social media shows the Man United striker bowing his head gently into the tunnel. He only stopped for a moment to quickly shake hands with a coaching staff member before continuing on in great sadness.
Notably, Cameroon have only missed three World Cups since 1982. They hold the record for the most appearances by an African team with 8 times. However, coach Marc Brys and his team have shown disappointing form in Group D of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they have won only 5/10 matches.
Mbeumo is now ready to return to Man United and start preparing for the Premier League match against Everton after the international break. The 26-year-old has been in impressive form this season, winning the Premier League Player of the Month award in October.
In the last 4 matches in the Premier League, Mbeumo has scored 4 goals, including the opening goal against Tottenham in the 2-2 draw before the international break.
Although Cameroon stopped in the play-off round, Man United could still suffer personnel losses. Mbeumo and Amad will miss up to 6 Premier League games due to participating in the African Nations Cup, starting from 21 December to 18 January. This tournament will cause Mbeumo and Amad (Ivory Coast) to temporarily part ways with the Old Trafford team.
The Red Devils' manager Ruben Amorim admitted that losing Mbeumo and Amad would be a shock, but stressed that this was also an opportunity for the other players in the team.
"We will have some difficulties, but we also know that this is an opportunity. When I watched the training sessions, there were players who should have been on the pitch. However, it is difficult to eliminate some players after just one match, because they are also performing well in the training process. Therefore, others will have the opportunity to help the team.
They understand how we want to play, so if we improve the way we play, individual changes will not change the overall ideas or motivation of the team. Let Amad and Mbeumo play in these games, and we will see the final result," said the Man United captain.
