United stars suffer the anguish of missing out on World Cup 2026 after shock defeat in qualifying

Numerous Manchester United players were in action on international duty during Thursday. Bryan Mbeumo The summer signing from Brentford has been a revelation at Old Trafford, scoring six goals so far this season. Mbeumo could not have the same effect for his nation though as African giants Cameroon, shockingly did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. They lost 0-1 at home to the Democratic Republic of Congo in an embarrassing evening for the Indomitable Lions. Mbeumo had little effect on the match but his biggest contribution came after 65 minutes when he shot narrowly wide. Andre Onana The United keeper on loan at Trabzonspor, captained his side on the night but could do little to stop his side from suffering the shock defeat. He did get down well to prevent Congo from opening the scoring earlier in the second half to deny Cedric Bakambu. Nonetheless, Congo’s winner in the 91st minute probably could have been dealt with by Onana. A deep corner was met at the back post but the ball went through the keeper, when he perhaps should have got his body behind the effort. It was an all too familiar sight for United fans. Diogo Dalot The evening wasn’t much better for Dalot who played 90 minutes of Portugal’s 0-2 loss to the Republic of Ireland. He won two tackles and made three clearances on the night. Dalot also won five ground duels but failed to win an aerial contest. The fullback was impressive on the ball, completing 98% of his passes and did manage to complete 100% of his dribble attempts. He also tried to score a goal for his side but his efforts were in vain as all four of his efforts were blocked by the Irish wall. Bruno Fernandes was suspended for the match but will likely be in action for his side against Armenia on Sunday night. Diogo Dalot stats vs Ireland MetricValue Goals0 Assists0 Tackles (won)4 (2) Interceptions0 Clearances3 Blocked shots0 Recoveries1 Ground duels (won)9 (5) Aerial duels (won)2 (0) Fouls2 Dribbled past1 Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)1 (0) Accurate passes57/58 (98%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)48/50 (96%) Passes in own half (acc.)8/8 (100%) Touches75 Unsuccessful touches1 Dribbles (successful)1 (1) Possession lost4 Total shots4 Shots on target0 Shots blocked4 Offsides2 Source: Sofascore Marcus Rashford United’s on loan winger played 64 minutes of England’s 2-0 win over Serbia. He had one key pass and completed 68% of his passing attempts. Rashford desperately tried to score a goal with four shots, three hitting the target during his time on the pitch. Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images – The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.