African stars are shining on the continent, and one individual rose as a giant among them with his performance on the weekend despite all of the chaos happening behind the scenes.
Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar helped the Indomitable Lions retain top spot in Group D after netting a double that fired his side to a convincing 4-1 victory over 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finalists Cape Verde in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
Read: Zim boss refuses to be 'bullied' by Bafana Bafana
It is worth noting that, heading into the game, things behind the scenes in the Cameroon camp were not all that great for the eventual victors, with much of the pre-match attention on the ongoing tension between the Cameroon Ministry of Sports and the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) led by former Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o.
During the course of the past week, it had been reported that during a reception the players attended following their selection for matchday three and four of the qualifiers, members of the two parties clashed in a confrontation that required police intervention to try and calm the situation down.
It had further been claimed that FECAFOOT representatives proceeded to hide training equipment from the players, which raised questions surrounding the adequacy of the side's preparations heading into the match.
This also came after an explosive first-time meeting between Eto'o and Cameroon boss Marc Brys. Following the meeting, the Belgian tactician was sacked by the former Inter Milan striker, and then reappointed just a few days later.
Despite the tension between the two organisations, though, Aboubakar's inspired display made all of the negative reports disappear for those 90 minutes of football, netting twice in his nation's victory. Michael Ngadeu opened the scoring in the 13th minute, and the lead was doubled by the Indomitable Lions' captain in the 25th minute.
The Besiktas star found himself in the right place at the right time after a short corner. Moumi Ngamaleu collected the ball and put it into the box, where the captain was lying in wait to convert the opportunity. After the Blue Sharks pulled a goal back and threatened to get the scores back to level terms, Cameroon won a penalty when Ngamaleu was brought down in the box.
The Indomitable Lions' No. 10 then stepped up to the plate and coolly converted the opportunity in the 44th minute, giving his side a 3-1 lead heading into the half-time interval. Nouhou Tolo then headed the ball into the back of the net in the 54th minute to secure the victory and see the side skippered by the 32-year-old overcome their behind-the-scenes issues and position themselves nicely to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Read: Man Utd make big Sancho 'decision'
Cameroon are currently on top of their qualifying group on goal difference, with Libya level on points in second position. They lead third-placed Angola by two points, and with Angola and Cameroon set to clash with one another on Tuesday night, Aboubakar and his side will be hoping to keep the positive results coming, despite having to play and train in an intense atmosphere.
Disclaimer: SNL24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on SNL24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of SNL24.