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Just two days after playing for Cameroon against Zambia in a World Cup qualifier, Anatole Abang was back in action in Denmark for Hobro IK.
On Monday, November 14, Hobro traveled to play HB Koge in a top-of-the-table clash between two teams hoping this season ends with promotion out of the Danish First Division. It had scarcely been 48 hours since Abang played a full-tilt match in Cameroon, so he was on the bench for kick-off.
Så er vi klar med aftenens holdopstilling. Der er kickoff kl. 19.00. #HobroIK #1div #HBKHOB pic.twitter.com/9vbNbT6wHi
— Hobro IK (@hikfodbold) November 14, 2016
But Koge took the lead in the first half...
33' Og så kom hjemmeholdet foran... #HBKHOB 1-0
— Hobro IK (@hikfodbold) November 14, 2016
...and Hobro eventually had to turn to its bench for help in pursuit of an equalizer.
76' Vi foretager en dobbeltudskiftning: Anatole Abang og Mads Jessen kommer ind - Anders Holvad og Lucas Jensen går ud. #HBKHOB 1-0
— Hobro IK (@hikfodbold) November 14, 2016
Abang was no better at finding a goal than his teammates, and Hobro slumped to its second consecutive league loss.
Vi formår desværre ikke at få point med hjem fra Castus Park. #HBKHOB pic.twitter.com/erh5XnaheH
— Hobro IK (@hikfodbold) November 14, 2016
Hobro head coach Ove Pedersen is not too concerned about his team's dip in form. The losses have cost Hobro its hold on the top of the league table, but the season is barely at its halfway point, and the coach still sees much about which to be positive, per his comments to Nordjyske.dk:
We'll get things tipping over in our favor again.We know that the results come like waves in a very close first division.
For his part, Anatole Abang would seem to be relishing the chance to prove himself for club and country. Before his most recent trip to Cameroon, the 20-year-old told Bold.dk, he was not phased by the challenge of the crowded schedule of a national team player:
The journey is not as hard as one might think, and fortunately there is no time difference between Denmark and Cameroon, so jet lag is not a problem.
From the moment he arrived in Denmark, Abang has made clear he has come to work hard and prove himself after what seems to have been a sub-optimal sophomore season with the New York Red Bulls. His loan to Hobro is a shot at a fresh start, and he is clearly inclined to make the best of it:
I am determined to establish myself at both the national team and at Hobro...which of course is hard mentally...Luckily, I'm young and in pretty good shape, so physically I do not have problems to resist.
Hobro is next in action on November 20, playing Fremad Amager on the road.