Cameroon made history on Sunday, beating Malawi 3-0 in Rabat to win their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title.
Marie Ngah was the star of the final, scoring twice, while Naomi Ndjoah Eto added the other goal as Cameroon settled the contest with a dominant first-half performance.
Ngah opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Ndjoah Eto doubled the lead 10 minutes later. Ngah struck again in stoppage time, leaving Malawi with a mountain to climb after the break.
The Malawian attacking sisters, Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga, struggled to break down a Cameroon defence that had conceded only twice before the final.
Dominant side
Cameroon comfortably protected their advantage in the second half to complete a remarkable knockout run without conceding a goal.
Their journey to the title included a group-stage win over Ghana, a 1-0 quarter-final victory against 10-time champions Nigeria and a penalty shootout victory over hosts Morocco after a goalless semi-final.
The triumph ended Cameroon’s run of three previous final defeats to Nigeria in 2004, 2014 and 2016.
It also made them the fourth different nation to win the women’s continental championship, joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.
For Malawi, the defeat ended a historic debut campaign in which they became the first Southern African debutants to reach the final.
Long wait over
Cameroon had not originally qualified for the tournament before being added following the expansion to 16 teams. They made the most of the opportunity.
After defeating Ghana in the group stage, they eliminated 10-time champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-finals before overcoming hosts Morocco on penalties after a goalless semi-final.
The victory was particularly significant for captain Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné and a generation of Cameroonian players who had experienced repeated heartbreak on the continental stage.
Cameroon had lost three previous finals without scoring in any of them. This time, they scored three goals before half-time.
Ngah finished as the star of the final with two goals, while Ndjoah Eto contributed a goal and an assist.
