Carlos Baleba suffered another early yellow card and half-time substitution as his World Cup dream ended.
The [Albion](https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/?ref=au) midfielder was hauled off at half-time in a play-off defeat with Cameroon.
They lost 1-0 to DR Congo in the qualifying semi-final having missed out on top spot to minnows Cape Verde in their group.
Baleba’s form has been as much of a discussion point with his country as it has with his club.
He was booked for a foul after just 16 minutes and was one of two players taken off at the break.
Baleba could only watch as Chancel Mbemba scored in added time to send DR Congo through to the play-off final against Nigeria.
Cameroon now look set for a turbulent period ahead of the finals of AFCON at the turn of the year.
Marc Brys, their Belgian head coach, is coming under fire.
He said: “These are professional players who play for big clubs. Everyone is disappointed, but they need to come back calmly. We have time.”
It was the fifth match in which Baleba has been booked and substituted in recent weeks, including his half-time withdrawal in Albion’s 1-1 draw at Wolves.
He also saw yellow seven minutes after going on as substitute in the 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth.
Baleba’s place in the Albion line-up is likely to come under more pressure as Jack Hinshelwood makes progress on a return from an ankle injury.
But Fabian Hurzeler has been supportive of the former Lille man, urging him to play his way back to form.
Albion fans have also largely stuck with the 21-year-old, who has been repeatedly linked with interest from Manchester Unireed and, to a lesser degree, Liverpool.