AFCON 2023: Andre Onana and Mohamed Salah Fail to Shine As Cameroon and Egypt Exit in Round of 16

• Egypt and Cameroon were eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
• Mohamed Salah played just two games for the Pharaohs as he suffered a hamstring injury
• Andre Onana appeared just one time for the Indomitable Lions in the AFCON group stages

Mohamed Salah and Andre Onana entered the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with high expectations.

They both left their clubs in the middle of the Premier League season to capture that elusive first AFCON title.

Their respective campaigns in Ivory Coast ended in disappointment, though, with Salah and Onana combining for just three matches in total in this year’s AFCON.

Sports Brief examines the downfall of the two football stars in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Injury dooms Salah’s AFCON campaign

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Egypt’s bid to win their eighth AFCON title ended on Sunday with a heart-breaking penalty shootout loss to DR Congo.

Salah wasn’t there on the field to help the Pharaohs in the round of 16 as his tournament was cut short with a hamstring injury in the group stage.

He picked up the injury during Egypt’s game against Ghana on Matchday 2. He failed to complete the first half as he was subbed off just before the half-time break.

Salah returned to Liverpool to do his rehab session with the Reds, hoping that he would be able to rejoin the national team in the latter rounds of the AFCON, per ESPN.

Egypt managed to secure qualification for the knockout stage with a 2-2 draw against Cape Verde.

Salah’s dream of winning Africa’s showpiece event was dashed, however, in the last 16. He watched the Pharaohs fall short on penalties against DR Congo.

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He finished the tournament with just one goal in two appearances, scoring a late penalty in Egypt’s group opener against Mozambique to salvage a 2-2 draw.

Onana’s AFCON stint a waste of time

Andre Onana tried to serve two masters, and he ended up paying for it.

He decided to prioritise Manchester United in the lead-up to AFCON 2023, playing in the Red Devils’ Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur just 24 hours before Cameroon’s opening match against Guinea.

That didn’t sit well with the Indomitable Lions’ top brass, who left Onana out of the squad for that contest.

The goalkeeper returned to the starting lineup for the crunch clash against Senegal, but his performance in that match was horrendous, to say the least.

He made no saves in that match and conceded from every shot he faced as the Indomitable Lions suffered a 3-1 loss to the defending champions.

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That proved to be Onana’s only contribution to the five-time AFCON champions as he was relegated to the bench for the must-win contest against Gambia.

They secured a dramatic come-from-behind 3-2 victory in that encounter to arrange a last-16 clash with Nigeria.

There were calls from some fans for Onana to start in that match against the Super Eagles, but those pleas fell on deaf ears.

His feud with Cameroon FA president, Samuel Eto'o, cost him dearly as he once again started on the bench in the round of 16, per Goal.com. He can only watch his team suffer a 2-0 loss to Nigeria.

Ondoa asked about replacing Onana permanently

Sports Brief recently reported on Fabrice Ondoa's remarks about replacing Onana as Cameroon's starting keeper.

He had a coy answer when asked about the matter, saying he felt that was a decision for the staff and the coaches.

However, Ondoa was at fault for Nigeria's opening goal in their Round of 16 clash at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.