Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene paid tribute to Cameroon legend after goal (Photo)

Cameroon have impressed at the 2019 Women’s World Cup by taking two of the best teams in the tournament to their limit, and forward Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene has been a standout.

Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene received jeers from the pro-Netherlands crowd every time she was slammed to the turf or even touched the ball, which is a sign that the opposition’s fan base knew to respect her danger on the ball.

A quiet standout during Cameroon’s 1-0 loss to Canada in their first group stage game of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Onguene was even better in her team’s second game. Although the Netherlands prevailed 3-1 with a brilliant brace from Vivianne Miedema, Cameroon showed real attacking quality, which was buoyed by Onguene’s hard work on the left side of the formation.

Running all over the pitch tirelessly, Onguene finally grabbed her first goal this tournament with a quality finish in the 43rd minute, just two minutes after Miedema opened the scoring for the Netherlands on a brilliant team goal.

Onguene showed so much intelligence on this singular play. She made an incisive run to create a chance from nothing, managed to perfectly teeter the line between being onside and offside, and beat the keeper expertly with the initial header before turning in a solid finish for Cameroon’s first World Cup goal.

And after she scored, Onguene celebrated by paying tribute to a Cameroon legend.

Ghislaine Bebom is a former Cameroon captain and an influential coach who passed away last Sunday. She was loved by so many people in the country and helped advance women’s football. Bebom helped the sport in so many ways, and it was heart-warming to see Onguene pay tribute to her after scoring a wonderful goal.

Hopefully there will be more great moments for Cameroon in their final group stage game against New Zealand. Though they lost both of their first two games, Cameroon provided fans with entertaining football and memorable moments. At the heart of most of those moments was Onguene, whose hard work off the ball and ability to create chances with her dribbling and pace made her a favorite for many watching at home.