Manga penalty sends Cameroon past Ghana and to brink of quarter-finals place
Cameroon moved to the brink of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Ghana in Sunday’s Group D clash in Casablanca.
The Indomitable Lionesses followed up last week’s 2-1 win over Mali with another disciplined display, while Marie Ngah Manga continued her fine form by scoring her third goal of the tournament – all of Cameroon’s goals in Morocco 2026 have come from the forward.
The match also marked the 10th TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations meeting between Ghana and Cameroon since 1998.
Cameroon made the breakthrough in the 19th minute after a VAR review awarded them a penalty. Manga stepped up and converted from the spot to hand her side the lead.
As expected, the game remained highly tactical, with Cameroon protecting the lead and hoping to catch the Ghanaians on the counter, while the Black Queens pressed for the equalizer.
The Black Queens thought they had found an equaliser in the 80th minute when substitute Evelyn Badu fired the ball into the net following a failed clearance by the goalkeeper. However, after another VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside.
Ghana continued to pile on the pressure in the closing stages, but Cameroon defended resolutely to preserve their narrow advantage and claim another crucial three points.
The victory leaves the Indomitable Lionesses firmly on course for a place in the knockout stages ahead of their final Group D fixture against Cape Verde. Ghana, meanwhile, will need a positive result in their final group match to keep their qualification hopes alive when facing Mali.
