Edited by Paul Elegbeleye | Photo: Happiraphael / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cameroon beat Malawi 3-0 in Rabat on Sunday to win their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title, ending a wait that stretched back to their tournament debut in 2004.
Marie Ngah Manga scored twice, and Naomi Eto added the other as the Indomitable Lionesses raced into a 3-0 lead inside the first half at the Moulay Hassan Stadium, brushing aside a Malawi side appearing at their first ever WAFCON finals. The victory secured Cameroon $2 million in prize money and a place at next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Why did this final matter so much? Cameroon had lost three previous WAFCON finals, in 2004, 2014 and 2016, and every single one of those defeats came against Nigeria. Reaching a fourth final already represented redemption.
Actually winning it turned decades of near-misses into history, making Cameroon just the fourth nation to lift the trophy since the competition’s centralised format began, following Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.
Malawi’s run to the final had captured attention across the continent. Ranked 153rd in the world, the lowest-ranked side in the tournament, they arrived in Morocco with little expectation and leaned heavily on the attacking talents of sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga to reach the showpiece.
“I feel like it’s a dream,” Ngah Manga said afterwards, according to allAfrica. “Cameroon have been working hard to have this moment, and today for us to be champion of Africa is a very, very wonderful thing.”
How Cameroon Dominated the First Half
Cameroon settled quickest and never let Malawi find their footing. Grace Mendoua’s header back across goal was tipped onto the bar by Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo in the 20th minute, and Ngah Manga pounced on the…
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