Lionesses shock Falcons, qualify for semis.

This was in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Women’s AFCON tournament. Amazone FAP of Yaounde defender, Myriam Maewa Inyadjou Yamen, scored the lone goal of the match at the 19th minute after beating goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, from outside the 18 meters box from a free kick. 

The girls of Coach Valentine Nguele secured the free kick after midfielder, Achta Toko Njoya, was fouled by Falcons midfielder, Jennifer Onyinyechi Echeginim, two minutes earlier.

Lionesses goalkeeper, Michaely Bihina, led the team in the historic showdown at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca. 

The 22-year-old Benfica shot stopper who was later honoured with the player of the match award, made over nine saves against a deadly Nigerian team that registered over 14 shots in the early evening fixture.

Cameroon will lock horns with defending vice champions, Morocco, in the semifinals on Wednesday, August 12. This is the first time Nigeria has failed to reach the semifinals of the Women’s AFCON since the competition was launched in 1998.

The team has ruthlessly dominated opponents in the competition with Cameroon being one of its biggest victims. The West Africans defeated Cameroon in the final in 2004, 2014 and 2016.

The Super Falcons eliminated the Indomitable Lionesses in the semifinals of the 2018 edition in Ghana and in the quarterfinals of the 2022 showpiece in Morocco. 

Cameroon last defeated Nigeria in the final phase of the competition 14 years ago in the third-place playoff match of the 2012 tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

The Central African giants bagged a 1-0 win in the match with forward, Aboudi Onguene, scoring the lone goal against the then six-time African champions. 

Historic win masterminded by Bihina masterclass

Lionesses coach, Valentine Nguele, started the match with a four-lady defense, with Easther Mayi Kith, Myriam Maewa Inyadjou Yamen and Yvana Makana Yakana joining team captain Colette Ndzana at the back. 

The tactical formation appeared not good enough to effectively tame the Nigerian attack that was led by AS Roma forward Omorinsola Omowunmi Babajide and Washington Spirit’s Gift Monday under the coordination of skipper Rasheedat Abijade. 

The attacking ruthlessness, left goalkeeper Bihina at the centre of the actions for Cameroon. The 22-year-old made over nine saves to deny the Nigerians who registered over 14 shots in the match.

The Benfica lady first announced herself in the match when she saved captain Rasheedat Ajibade well-placed close-range shot 60 seconds into the storied showdown.

Washington Spirit FC forward, Monday Gift, almost equalized at the 21st minute. But the youngster could only manage a weak shot in an attempt to beat the Cameroonian keeper following a pass from her skipper inside the penalty box. 

The West Africans came close to equalizing at the 29th minute. But goalkeeper smartly palmed away the well-placed shot from AS Roma’s Omorinsola Omowunmi Babajide to the visible excitement of the Cameroonian fans who turned out at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca to motivate the Lionesses. 

The Nigerians wasted another golden opportunity when a poorly connected tap in from playmaker Jennifer Ucheibi was calmly picked up by the Indomitable Lioness keeper in the final minutes of the first half.

The goalkeeper kickstarted the second segment in similar spirit, making multiple stops from the Nigerians. The youngster improved her now cinema-like show at the 66th minute to make a similar clean save from a powerful shot resulting from a free kick from West Africans before concluding the much-acclaimed one-person show with additional saves at the 70th and 78th minutes.

Notorious underdogs

Cameroon defeated Nigeria in Yaounde in February earlier this year and lost to the team a few days later when the two nations went head-to-head at the Military Stadium in two pretournament friendlies. 

But the Indomitable Lionesses who are now set for their third appearance in the final phase of the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the third time after 2015 and 2019, entered the ongoing tournament as awkward underdogs.

This is because the three-time finalists missed out on an automatic qualification ticket to the Morocco showpiece. The team was knocked out of the qualifiers by Algeria.

The selection was only brought in when the Confederation of African Football, CAF, expanded the tournament from 12 to 16 teams, with Cameroon qualifying as one of the four best-ranked non-qualified teams. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3874 of Monday August 10, 2026