2022 World Cup Qualifier: Before leaving for Algeria, Cameroon’s coach Song gives an update on Aboubakar’s condition
Cameroon manager Rigobert Song is confident that Vincent Aboubakar will be ready for the second leg of their 2022 World Cup qualifying tie against Algeria on Tuesday.
In Friday’s first leg, Aboubakar was only on the pitch for 45 minutes before being subbed out in a 1-0 defeat by the Desert Foxes.
Islam Slimani’s header in the 40th minute gave the visitors an important advantage in their quest to feature in the global showpiece billed for Qatar.
In his pre-match talk, Csongor, Cameroon’s captain, revealed that he had sprained his heel and was taken off early in the game to limit harm.
“Vincent Aboubakar has a recurrent heel problem. The heavy nature of the pitch this evening aggravated the pain, that’s why we replaced him at the break to prevent a worst-case scenario,” Song said, via the Caf website.
“We will see what happens in our next game, but we are sure he will be available to help the team.”
Aboubakar has continued to be an important figure in the Indomitable Lions’ organization, and he was the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals in seven appearances at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Song, who lost his first game as Cameroon coach, is optimistic that his team can win in the next match.
“Our performance was not bad. We did what had to be done. We remain confident, we need to get a result in the return game. we will try to qualify in Blida,” he said.
Cameroon has played in seven World Cups, despite never qualifying for the most recent edition in Russia 2018.
