AFCON of Stars: Steve Mounie to lead Benin
Original public source text. It may contain French even on an English source page. This is not a reviewed English translation. Recovered images and media appear below when available.
Image unavailable.
All original articlesBenin returns to the competition after missing the last two editions. For this edition in Morocco, which will be their 5th participation, the Guépards aim at the exploit in a group which includes Senegal, DR Congo and Botswana. A man is expected to guide the Guépards: Steve Mounié
.
In Benin, hopes are high. After narrowly missing the qualification for the 2026 World Cup, in a pool where there was South Africa (1st) and Nigeria (2nd), the Beninese want to believe in their chances in Morocco. It must be said that during their last appearance in the African Cup, in 2019 in Egypt, Steve Mounié’s teammates had created a sensation by qualifying for the quarter-finals... without winning any match since, in the first round, they had 3 draws, then eliminated Morocco in a 1/8th round on penalty. Moreover, Benin is still chasing their first taste of glory in the competition, after 14 outings (9 defeats, 5 draws between the 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2019 AFCON).
Steve Mounié, author of 2 goals to allow Benin to be present in Morocco, is expected to shine and carry the hopes of an entire people. His 2nd AFCON (after 2019) could allow him to enter a little more in the history of his country, of which he is the second best scorer with 22 goals in 63 outings, behind the legend Stéphane Sessègnon (24 goals). The striker therefore advances both with a collective mission, winning a match for Benin, but also with individual ambitions.
A do or die for Steve
Moreover, Steve Mounié is still chasing his first goal in the African Cup. Indeed, during the historic campaign in Benin in 2019, the 31-year-old striker had not found the target, even if his qualities of a game away from the goal and deviating, his ability to press the opponent to prevent the restart, had helped his team a lot.
Moreover, this edition could allow Mounié to live high again, while his situation in the club is delicate. With Alanya, he still hasn’t scored in 7 outings, while before landing in Turkey, he had scored once with Augsburg.
Benin, which has 3 eliminations in the first round and one in the quarter-finals in its history in the African Cup of Nations, moves forward to its 5th participation with the hope of teasing the big teams. The team led by Gernot Rohr will not have time to rest with DRC and Senegal as opponents in the pools. A delicate mission that could be facilitated by a Steve Mounié of the great days.