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How Aboubakar Kamara went from zero to hero at Fulham in three days
On Saturday, Aboubakar Kamara wrangled a penalty from designated taker Aleksandar Mitrovic and missed it. Subject to boos from his own fans, apparently refusing to apologise, his own manager said he wanted to kill him.
Just three days later, the Fulham winger came off the bench at the Emirates, scored a crucial goal, and nearly dragged the Whites back to an unlikely draw on New Year’s Day.
Even for the mercurial Frenchman, the past week has been a remarkable rollercoaster in which Kamara has truly gone from zero to hero at Craven Cottage.
After Kamara’s ill-fated penalty fiasco, many doubted if he would ever play for Fulham again, with a report from the even claiming he was set to be sold in January. Yet on New Year’s Eve, Claudio Ranieri publicly , claiming the dispute was “finished” and indicating Kamara was ready for selection.
Although the Italian manager opted to start Andre Schurrle ahead of Kamara, the Frenchman retained his place on the bench and entered the fray in the 61st minute.
From the off, it was clear what Kamara brought to the Fulham team, bullying the Arsenal defenders with his dangerous runs, electrifying pace, and powerful dribbles.
Just eight minutes after coming on, Kamara ghosted unmarked into the penalty area and connected emphatically with a Ryan Sessegnon cross, halving the deficit and bringing Fulham back into the match.
With the score 2-1, Kamara was at the forefront of the Fulham fightback, and nearly set up Mitrovic for the tying goal — yet his cross lacked the necessary power and was cut out by Bernd Leno.
The Gunners would go on to score two late goals to make the final result a comfortable-looking 4-1, but in reality, the Whites unnerved Arsenal for large stretches of the match.
Aboubakar Kamara provided the unlikeliest of figures to spearhead the plucky Fulham fightback, scoring the Cottagers’ solitary goal and delighting the away support.
From boos to hearing his name sung in joy, the French winger completed his rise from villain to saint, revealing his future very much lies in SW6.