Cameroon beat Morocco on penalties to set up WAFCON final against Malawi

[p]This is yet another remarkable achievement for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cameroon/GjLfzCAQ/"]Cameroon[/a], who had already knocked out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nigeria/KbvGP3KC/"]Nigeria[/a] in the quarter-finals and were up against favourites Morocco in the semi-finals. In the final, Cameroon will face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/malawi/A3EAueis/"]Malawi[/a], who have made a surprise run to the final following a historic first campaign in the Africa Cup of Nations.[/p][embed guid="169b6775-0b6c-4e32-b061-a9ed70ff1c8f" url="https://x.com/CAFwomen/status/2087692813022490712" social-type="twitter" /][p]After just two minutes, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IButJ9mf/"]Morocco[/a] opened the proceedings with a cross from Hanane Ait [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ait-el-haj-hanane/vZ3RvLtf/"]El Haj[/a], but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bihina-michaely/xxr70HSP/"]Michaely Bihina[/a] punched the ball clear to prevent [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mssoudy-sanaa/E1Hh3YYH/"]Sanaa Mssoudy[/a] from getting a shot away.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/chebbak-g/IJJKj0dO/"]Ghizlane Chebbak[/a] slipped a superb pass into the box for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jraidi-ibtissam/MsPa7eot/"]Ibtissam Jraidi[/a]. However, the Moroccan players appealed for a handball by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nyadjou-myriam/C0kNFUWi/"]Maeva Nyadjou[/a] following [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ouzraoui-diki-sakina/n7hkYICP/"]Sakina Ouzraoui’s[/a] initial attempt to play the ball. The referee checked VAR but awarded the ball back to Michaely Bihina, who attempted to restart play for the Indomitable Lionesses.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/eto-naomi/YeZgXA8U/"]Naomi Eto[/a] created [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cameroon/GjLfzCAQ/"]Cameroon’s[/a] first chance by cutting inside from the right flank and taking a shot on her own, which was saved by Khadija Er-Rmichi. [/p][p]Morocco thrilled their fans with another perfect cross from Aït El Haj, which found Mssoudy’s header in the box. It struck the post of Bihina’s goal, who looked beaten. Eto tried her luck again but her shot was blocked inside the box. [/p][p]Jraidi responded immediately with a shot of her own, which was also blocked and easily gathered by Bihina (26th). Down her flank, Ouzraoui causes havoc down the right but is eventually penalised for a foul on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ngock-monique/6JpvenSP/"]Monique Ngock[/a] (27th).[/p][p]It was she again who looked for Jraidi after some great work down the right, but the Moroccan number 9 lost possession (33'). Morocco had a commanding 68 per cent share of possession but struggled to pose a threat. This included a free-kick, which Bihina caught straight away (40th). Just before half-time, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nakkach-elodie/nLq8CFkR/"]Élodie Nakkach[/a] tried her luck from distance, but Bihina gathered the ball in two attempts (45th).[/p][h2]Cameroon came to life, but the match went into extra time[/h2][p]After the break, Morocco were awarded a good free-kick right down the middle, but Ait El Haj failed to hit the target. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mrabet-yasmin/WpXEwD7Q/"]Mrabet[/a]’s header from the resulting free-kick met the same fate. Cameroon launched a counter-attack but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/toko-njoya/nuXszDOB/"]Achta Toko Njoya[/a]’s cross ended up in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/errmichi-khadija/na7ZxaB6/"]Errmichi[/a]’s gloves. The Moroccan goalkeeper was called into action again to save a weak header from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ngah-marie/KnVaimzl/"]Marie Ngah Manga[/a]. But Bihina also made a fine save on her line, catching a floated cross from Ait El Haj.[/p][p]The biggest chance of the second half fell to Mssoudy, who cut inside from the left before unleashing a powerful shot that ended up… in the side netting. Some of the 19,000 Moroccan supporters in attendance thought they’d seen the ball go in.[/p][p]Then Bihina had a scare when she fumbled the ball from an Ouzraoui cross but managed to recover it at the last moment. Cameroon pushed forward again, and Eto’s cross nearly found Ngah Manga in the box.[/p][p]As the minutes ticked by, Morocco increasingly allowed the Indomitable Lionesses to take control of the ball, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mendoua-grace/E1eREXgl/"]Grace Mendoua[/a] nearly capitalised on this. But she failed to control it. In an attempt to turn the tide, Jorge Vilda brought on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saoud-imane/hEwO2Nye/"]Imane Saoud[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/badri-najat/Sv6xjfG5/"]Najat Badri[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tagnaout-fatima/lGmoGfEt/"]Fatima Tagnaout[/a] in quick succession.[/p][p]But it was Cameroon who once again threatened in the box, with a cross intended for Mendoua that was cleared by Errmichi. A misjudgement by Toko as she cleared the ball nearly gifted Morocco an own-goal, under pressure from Ouzraoui, but Bihina was there to save her team. In quick succession, Saoud had two chances to make it 1–0, but was denied first by a defender and then by the Cameroonian goalkeeper.[/p][p]Ouzraoui put on a show in the box and looked set to take on each Cameroonian defender one by one before scoring. But she was surrounded by three and decided against continuing. Tagnaout was played in with a cut-back and slid the ball across for Mssoudy, who completely missed her shot at the far post.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/atiq-maryame/xW89dy0L/"]Maryame Atiq[/a] made a heroic tackle to deny [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/abam-michaela/Y5RzXWEc/"]Michaela Abam[/a], who had capitalised on a completely disjointed end to the match to break clear towards the Moroccan goal. The heroine for Cameroon is once again Bihina, who comes out to cut out Ouzraoui’s run as she was bearing down on goal to score a golden goal. Off to extra time![/p][h2]Nyadjou and Bihina once again heroic for Cameroon[/h2][p]The start of extra time produced few chances. It wasn’t until the 96th minute that a cross from Saoud was met by Bihina, following a series of stoppages due to cramps. The young [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aretouyap-fadimatou/6ukPckcK/"]Fadimatou Aretouyap Kome[/a] burst into the Moroccan box and cut inside, but her pass was too long. Abam followed up and won a corner. It was she again who was found at the far post from the resulting corner, following a pivot cross from Kome, but her effort was blocked by Errmichi. [/p][p]Tagnaout took a well-struck corner from the byline to find Atiq, who jumped higher than everyone else, but the ball flew over the Cameroonian crossbar. Ouzraoui appealed for a penalty following a challenge with Myriam Nyadjou in the box. The contact was very slight and, above all, entirely unintentional, as the two players were contesting the ball.[/p][p]However, the VAR called the referee over, who reviewed his decision and awarded the penalty. But Tagnaout, who eventually replaced Ait El Haj from the penalty spot, shot at mid-height and with insufficient power. Bihina dived quickly and parried the ball away. Another heroic save.[/p][p]The two teams would therefore be decided by a penalty shoot-out: Aït El Haj, the captain following Chebbak’s substitution, opened the proceedings with a perfect reverse-foot shot. Ngah did the same and equalised (1–1).[/p][p]But [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/chapelle-kenza/IJjd6Jdh/"]Kenza Chapelle[/a], who had come on just before the shoot-out, shot at mid-height to the left and saw her effort parried by Bihina, who made her first save of the shoot-out. Mendoua also took a poor shot and saw Errmichi stretch to parry it away.[/p][p]Atiq suffered the same fate as Chapelle, with Bihina producing a superb save with her opposite hand. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bella-rose/jH04D3lr/"]Bella Rose[/a] put Cameroon back in front (1–2). And a third save for Bihina from Ouzraoui’s attempt – the Cameroonian goalkeeper was on top form! And Nyadjou, aged 21 and already the scorer of the decisive free-kick in the quarter-finals against Nigeria, sends the Indomitable Lionesses through to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations![/p][embed guid="95648514-9b59-4d18-b125-093bc4b7683e" url="https://x.com/CAFwomen/status/2087681913322340409?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Cameroon have managed to overcome an unfavourable run of form: before this shoot-out, they had taken part in three penalty shoot-outs at the Africa Cup of Nations and lost all of them in 1998, 2008 and 2018. Meanwhile, Morocco had won its last two Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals on penalties.[/p][p]The Indomitable Lionesses can thank Michaely Bihina, who had already been heroic against Nigeria and who saved three penalties during the shoot-out, in addition to Tagnaout’s penalty at the end of extra time.[/p][p]They can also thank the expansion of the Africa Cup of Nations, finalised just a few months before this tournament – which was postponed until the summer – which allowed them to qualify via the FIFA coefficient. Cameroon will therefore join an equally heroic Malawi side in the final. Morocco, meanwhile, will face Algeria in the third-place play-off on Saturday.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/cameroon-GjLfzCAQ/morocco-IButJ9mf/?mid=Ail4tIXI"]Check out the full match stats here[/a].[/b][/p]