Aboubakar eyeing round of 16 return to fitness
Injury has kept Cameroon’s key striker Vincent Aboubakar from the field at the Africa Cup of Nations after he suffered a hamstring strain on the eve of the tournament in the Ivory Coast but he is line for a dramatic return on Saturday in the last-16 against arch foes Nigeria.
It would be a major boost for the hopes of the Indomitable Lions, who scrambled into the knockout stage with a come-from-behind victory over tiny Gambia in their last group game, snatching a must-win result in stoppage time.
They ended up second in Group C, behind holders Senegal, and as a result take on the Super Eagles at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
Cameroon scored five goals in their three group games, where they collected four points, but two goals were netted by central defenders and there was also an own goal.
It means the potential of again being able to field Abubakar, a 14-year veteran of the national team, will be warmly welcomed as Cameroon go into the game as underdogs.
Aboubakar, who turned 32 on Monday, was only a teenager when first called up by the Indomitable Lions as a surprise selection and the only locally based player in the Cameroon squad for the 2010 World Cup.
He made his debut in a warm-up friendly against Slovakia in May 2010 and came off the bench for two appearances at the 2010 World Cup. Since, he has gone onto win 97 caps and would have been hoping to reach the magical 100-mark during the Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.
He can still achieve that, but then Cameroon would have to get to the semi-finals at least, first overcoming Nigeria in Saturday’s last-16 tie and then one of Angola or Namibia in the quarter-finals.
Aboubakar is a previous Cup of Nations winner, netting the goal that saw them
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