Cameroon secured top spot in Group D after playing out a 1-1 draw with Cape Verde in their final TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON 2026) group-stage match in Casablanca on Thursday.
The result sees the Indomitable Lionesses finish the group unbeaten with two wins and a draw, setting up a mouthwatering quarter-final meeting with defending champions Nigeria. Cape Verde, meanwhile, earned a historic first-ever point in their maiden TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON appearance.
Cape Verde threatened first in the 19th minute when Ivania Moreira found herself with a golden opportunity inside the area, but her attempted finish lacked conviction and was comfortably dealt with.
Cameroon punished that miss nine minutes later. Naomi Ndjoah Eto continued her lively display down the flank before picking out Grace Mendoua, who rifled a superb first-time effort into the top corner.
Cape Verde emerged from the break with the aim of levelling matters and were rewarded five minutes into the second half. Moreira made amends for her earlier miss by applying the finishing touch to bring the island nation level at 1-1.
Cameroon thought they had restored their advantage soon afterwards when substitute Michaela-Batya Abam swept home after a goalmouth scramble following several unsuccessful Cape Verde clearances. However, celebrations were cut short after a VAR review ruled the goal out for a foul in the build-up.
The match opened up in the closing stages as both sides searched for a winner. Ndjoah Eto almost produced a moment of brilliance after leading a rapid counterattack, but her low effort was brilliantly slid away before it could find the target.
Cape Verde nearly snatched all three points in the dying moments when Alivia Kelly was played through on goal, only to see her well-struck effort expertly parried to safety.
The final whistle confirmed a share of the spoils, enough for Cameroon to finish top of Group D with seven points from their three matches.
The Indomitable Lionesses now turn their attention to a blockbuster quarter-final encounter against reigning champions Nigeria on Saturday, while Cape Verde bow out of the tournament with a memorable first point in their debut.
SOURCE: CAF ONLINE
