Karl Toko Ekambi was replaced in the 58th minute of the defeat (1-2) of Lyon against Strasbourg, on Saturday, January 14, for the 19th day of Ligue 1. The Cameroonian striker did not like his replacement by Bradley Barcola. Especially since he was the target of whistles and unwanted gestures from the public of the Groupama Stadium, which deployed banners demanding his departure from the club.
Karl Toko Ekambi went directly to the locker room. In the corridors, the Indomitable Lion let his anger explode by violently hitting a trash can.
Out of punch against his opponents, the Cameroonian international (55 caps, 12 goals) continues to sober with less playing time and productivity. Since the beginning of the season, he can not convince his coaches (Peter Bosz and Laurent Blanc) and the Lyon public. In eighteen appearances, the 30-year-old has only found the net four times.
58' Bradley Barcola remplace Karl Toko Ekambi.#OLRCSA 1-2 pic.twitter.com/IxVfCAkLKa
— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) January 14, 2023
Laurent Blanc does not understand the lack of efficiency of his striker, who ensures in training. "It is not at all the same thing between his level during the week and his level during the matches. He is a complete player, who goes fast, who dribbles, but his productions are not up to the level,'' pointed out the coach of Lyon. ''There must be a problem, we need to regain confidence individually. The state of mind depends on each player."
Toko Ekambi as well suffered from a similar trend of events with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar where the player whose goal gave Cameroon the final ticket during qualifiers, turned out to be a shadow of himself during the competition.
