- Atlas Lionesses pay price for late penalty miss
The Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon stunned their Moroccan counterparts, Atlas Lionesses 3-1 on penalties to reach the final of this year’s TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Wednesday night.
Following a dramatic goalless semi-final encounter in Rabat, the Cameroonian Ladies held their nerve in the shootout at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium with Morocco left to rue a golden opportunity to win the contest when Fatima Tagnaout missed a penalty in extra time.
Cameroon converted three of their four kicks in the shootout through Marie Ngah, Rose Bella and Myriam Nyadjou, while Morocco managed only one successful effort by Hanane Aït El Haj.
Kenza Chapelle, Meryem Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui all failed to convert for the Atlas Lionesses as Cameroon completed another major knockout victory after eliminating defending champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-finals.
The victory sends Cameroon into their fourth WAFCON final and ends Morocco’s hopes of reaching the continental showpiece for a third successive edition.
Tight Contest With Few Openings
With both sides unwilling to take unnecessary risks in a semi-final carrying enormous stakes, the match began cautiously and backed by a passionate home crowd, Morocco looked to use the flanks and attempted to impose greater control of possession.
However, Cameroon remained compact and disciplined without abandoning their own attacking ambitions. Both teams were unable to find a breakthrough before the interval as their defence lines dominated proceedings.
Increasing the tempo after the restart, Coach Jorge Vilda turned to his bench in an attempt to provide greater attacking energy for the Atlas Lionesses as he withdrew Ibtissam Jraidi and Nouhaila Badri in the second half.
As the hosts searched for the goal, Tagnaout was among those asked to make an impact, but the Cameroonians remained organised in frustrating their opponents, leaving both sides unable to score at the end of regulation time.
Tagnaout Blows Morocco’s Golden Chance
In the 118th minute, Morocco got the biggest opportunity as the extra time appeared to be heading towards penalties. Unfortunately, Tagnaout stepped forward with only moments remaining, failed to score from the spot, giving Cameroon a dramatic reprieve.
The Fatal Miss
With the score still 0-0 after 120 minutes, the semi-final moved to a shootout, familiar territory for Morocco, who had won their previous two WAFCON semi-finals on penalties against Nigeria in 2022 and Ghana in 2024.
However, their remarkable record from the spot deserted them this time with Cameroon ending penalty shootout hoodoo on their part. They had lost all three of their previous WAFCON penalty shootouts, including a semi-final defeat by Nigeria in 2018.
Aït El Haj converted Morocco’s opening penalty, but Chapelle then missed their second effort. Cameroon were far more composed, with Ngah scoring before Grace Mendoua missed their second kick.
Bella restored Cameroon’s advantage, while Atiq failed with Morocco’s third attempt. Nyadjou then converted Cameroon’s fourth penalty before Ouzraoui missed Morocco’s next kick, sealing a 3-1 shootout triumph for the Indomitable Lionesses.
They have now overcome Nigeria and hosts Morocco in successive knockout matches to secure a place in the continental final.
For Morocco, the defeat brings a painful end to their bid to reach a third consecutive WAFCON final and claim their first African title on home soil.
The Indomitable Lionesses are now one victory away from becoming African champions in a campaign already transformed by their quarter-final victory over 10-time champions, Super Falcons of Nigeria. – With CAFonline report
