Andre Onana had another night to forget as Cameroon suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Cape Verde on Tuesday. The 29-year-old, who was already on the verge of leaving Manchester United, didn’t help his case when he was accused of ‘losing the plot’ during the international break.
The two sides met in a top-of-the-table qualifier, but Onana, who is poised to join Turkish club Trabzonspor on loan in the coming days, was at fault for the winning goal and had his evening ruined by an argument with a supporter at the National Stadium.
It was the latest setback in what has been a difficult period since his arrival in England in 2023. No Premier League player has made more errors contributing directly to goals than Onana in that time, with his nine blunders ranging from conceding Olimpico goals from corners to allowing tame efforts through his gloves. This new blunder felt like the ideal culmination of his difficult journey.
Onana’s Devastating Performance at Cape Verde 1-0 Cameroon
Onana’s critical error occurred in the 53rd minute, when Cape Verde striker Rocha Livramento regained possession on the halfway line, shrugging off a Cameroon midfielder and driving straight through the heart of the defence. When faced with a one-on-one with the forward, Onana elected to stay on his line, only to compound the blunder by diving the wrong way as Livramento’s shot nestled into the back of the net. Watch the incident below.
The blunder gave Cape Verde, a tiny nation of only 525,000 inhabitants, a critical advantage, increasing their lead in the qualifying group to four points with only two games remaining. They are about to make history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time.
Onana’s night got progressively worse. After the final whistle, as the Red Devils’ misfit was leaving the pitch, he seemed to shove a pitch invader out of frustration before being hurled a bottle, overshadowing the celebrations around him. Watch the incident below.
According to the Mirror, Man United will not receive a loan fee, and Trabzonspor is under no obligation to sign Onana permanently when his contract expires. This means he will return to Old Trafford at the end of the loan, where a decision on his future will be made. He plans to travel to Turkey immediately after the international break to conclude the loan deal.
Onana formerly excelled at Ajax and Inter Milan, routinely ranking among the world’s greatest goalkeepers. However, he has struggled considerably in the Premier League. Following United’s signing of Belgian custodian Senne Lammens, the Cameroonian is anticipated to fall down the pecking order this season, a move that many say should have occurred sooner.
xz
