Ngah Manga struck twice as Cameroon claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mali in an entertaining TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Group D encounter in Casablanca on Thursday evening.
The Indomitable Lionesses maintained their impressive record against Mali, extending it to four wins and a draw in their previous five meetings, while securing an important three points ahead of a decisive second group outing.
Meeting for a sixth time in tournament history, the familiar rivals once again produced a tightly contested affair that swung both ways in a high-octane clash.
Cameroon opened the scoring through Manga in the 14th minute through Galatasary star, Ngah Manga, who showed excellent composure to bring down a lofted pass into space with her chest before calmly finishing at the near post to hand her side an early advantage.
Mali responded positively and were rewarded in the 30th minute after goalkeeper Michaely Bihina brought down Aïssata Traoré while attempting to gather a through ball inside the area. Traoré stepped up confidently and converted from the penalty spot to bring the West Africans level in the 30th minute.
The remainder of the first half was evenly balanced, with both teams creating promising openings but unable to find a way through well-organised defences.
The contest resumed with the same highly paced momentum in the second stanza.
Cameroon regained the lead in the 72nd minute after a VAR review resulted in another penalty as Ngah Manga stepped up to convert with composure and complete the brace and subsequently restore her side’s advantage.
Mali pushed forward in search of another equaliser, while Cameroon defended resolutely as the match entered its closing stages.
The best chance of the dying moments fell to Mali substitute Fatoumata Diarra, who latched onto an inviting delivery in the final seconds, but her effort lacked the power to trouble Bihina, who gathered comfortably to preserve Cameroon’s victory.
The result marks another successful chapter for Cameroon in a fixture they have historically dominated.
The Indomitable Lionesses are appearing at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the 13th time, having featured in every edition since 1998 except the previous tournament.
Attention now turns to Sunday’s second round of Group D fixtures, where Cameroon face Ghana in what promises to be another stern examination following the Black Queens’ opening victory over Cape Verde. Mali will be looking to bounce back when they take on Cape Verde, with both sides seeking valuable points in the race for a place in the knockout stages.
