Napoli double provides cathartic release for Aboubakar
Thursday, October 20, 2016
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"After my first goal, it felt like some negative energy had left me," said Vincent Aboubakar after opening his account for Beşiktaş in the Turkish side's 3-2 Group B win at Napoli.
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What a difference a goal, or two in Vincent Aboubakar's case, can make.
The striker's double against Napoli on Wednesday not only breathed new life into his team's UEFA Champions League campaign, it also finally got his Beşiktaş career going.
The 24-year-old, on a season-long loan from Porto, scored in each half at the Stadio San Paolo. His 86th-minute header, after the Black Eagles had twice let the lead slip, sealed the visitors' first win in the competition since 25 November 2009.
"My goals were very important, not just for the team but also from a confidence point of view," said the Cameroonian international, whose competition tally now stands at a very respectable eight goals in 13 appearances.
"After my first goal, it felt like some negative energy had left me. It felt like the adversities I had experienced disappeared at that very moment."
Indeed, Aboubakar had not made the best of starts in the black and white of Beşiktaş. Going into the Group B fixture the former Valenciennes and Lorient forward was without a goal in seven matches and had spurned some clear-cut chances.
His drought was such that Fabri, another hero of the night with a 50th-minute penalty save, said: "I am very happy with the win, but especially that Aboubakar scored twice."
The early success enjoyed by some of Aboubakar's attacking predecessors at Beşiktaş hindered his case. Demba Ba registered a hat-trick against Feyenoord in August 2014, ending the season with 27 goals, while Mario Gomez struck twice in a game three times in his first five league starts last term en route to 28 goals in 41 outings for the Istanbul club.
Patience was waning and there was talk of Aboubakar being dropped against Napoli – especially with Cenk Tosun having plundered five goals in seven league games this season. On Wednesday night, however, he justified coach Şenol Güneş's faith.
"He played an important role, not only with his two goals but also with his movement, his possession of the ball," explained Güneş. "In the second half, he controlled [Faouzi] Ghoulam on the right and contributed to the team, just like the rest of the players."
