Cameroon have won their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title after beating Malawi 3-0 in Sunday’s final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
The Indomitable Lionesses showed their strength and finally ended years of disappointment in the competition. They had lost in the finals three times before.
Cameroon took charge early and scored three goals before half-time.
Marie Ngah opened the scoring after 20 minutes. She headed the ball into the net to give Cameroon a great start.
Naomi Ndjoah Eto doubled the lead eight minutes later. This left Malawi with a tough challenge ahead.
Ngah then scored again just before the break, putting Cameroon in control and almost sealing the game before half-time.
This victory is a historic moment for Cameroon. They had previously finished as runners-up in 2004, 2014, and 2016.
All three defeats came against Nigeria. They lost 5-0 in the 2004 final, 2-0 in 2014, and 1-0 in 2016.
This time, Cameroon faced a new opponent in the final and took full advantage of the chance.
The title also marks a big turnaround for the team. They had failed to qualify for the tournament at first but got in after the competition expanded from 12 to 16 teams.
For Malawi, the defeat ended a great debut campaign. The Scorchers became the first Southern African team, apart from South Africa, to reach the WAFCON final.
They made history by getting to the final in their first appearance.
Malawi had defeated Algeria 3-1 in the semi-finals, while Cameroon beat hosts Morocco in a penalty shoot-out to reach the final.
Cameroon entered the final having conceded only two goals in the tournament. They also kept three clean sheets.
Their strong defense was matched by a sharp attack in the final. They secured the biggest win in the title match of the competition.
Sunday’s victory makes Cameroon the fourth different nation to win the WAFCON title, joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa.
After three final defeats, Cameroon are finally the Queens of Africa.
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