The she made nine saves when the Indomitable Lionesses edged past defending champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-final
* And was on hand for a second successive cleansheet against Morocco saving one penalty in extra time and three in post-match shootouts
Maravi Express
While Malawi Scorchers have established names stealing the headlines through the sibling duo of Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga, Cameroon have a 22-year-old between the sticks, Michaely Bihina, who could be the difference between heartbreak and history for her country.
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Her highlight performance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) was making nine saves when the Indomitable Lionesses edged past defending champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarterfinal and was on hand for a second successive cleansheet against Morocco — saving one penalty in extra time and three in post-match shootouts.
“The goalkeeper, who recently signed for Benfica earlier this year, was the star of their showdown with the hosts,” reports Olympic.com.
“Not only did she deny the Atlas Lionesses an extra-time winner by palming away a penalty, she also denied them three times in the decisive shootout to help guide Cameroon into the final.
“Each team has crucial players at both ends of the pitch. Sunday’s final may well answer the question of which is more important for title winning teams – defence or attack.”
For Malawi, Olympic.com describes the Scorchers as tournament debutants “who quickly turned to competitors after their opening game — beating 10-time title winners Nigeria 3-2 before going on to top the group”.
“Two players have been the beating heart of Malawi’s emphatic journey to the final — the sibling duo of Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga, who once again, are the players to watch going into the final.
“Both of them were on the scoresheet in their 3-1 rout of Algeria, Tabitha bagging a brace, making them two of the best-performing attackers in the tournament.
“Temwa, who has developed a reputation for one of the best goal scorers in the game, currently leads the Golden Boot race having found the back of the net five times while also providing two assists.
“If Malawi go on to achieve an incredible feat – becoming first-time winners at the first time of asking – it is clear this pair will play a defining role.
“Cameroon, meanwhile, are in familiar territory. Quite incredibly, though, the Indomitable Lionesses were not originally supposed to be here.
“They had failed to qualify in what was originally a 12-team tournament, but with the expansion and inclusion of a further four teams came a second chance – one which now has them on the brink of an historic first.”
Group stage results, standings and knockout stage fixtures (kick-off times CAT beamed live on SuperSport live on DStv Channel 225 (https://dstv.stream) and on GOtv Channel 61 (https://gotv.stream):
Group A
Algeria 2-0 Senegal
Morocco 4-0 Kenya
Senegal 1-0 Kenya
Morocco 1-0 Algeria
Senegal 0-0 Morocco
Kenya 0-2 Algeria
Group B
South Africa 1-2 Tanzania
Côte d’Ivoire 4-1 Burkina Faso
South Africa 2-2 Côte d’Ivoire
Burkina Faso 2-1 Tanzania
Burkina Faso 0-1 South Africa
Tanzania 1-2 Côte d’Ivoire
Group C
Zambia 6-0 Egypt
Nigeria 3-2 Malawi
Egypt 1-3 Malawi
Nigeria 1-0 Zambia
Egypt 2-6 Nigeria
Malawi 1-2 Zambia
Group D
Ghana 2-0 Cape Verde
Cameroon 2-1 Mali
Ghana 0-1 Cameroon
Mali 3-2 Cape Verde
Mali 1-1 Ghana
Cape Verde 1-1 Cameroon
Quarterfinals
Côte d’Ivoire 1-2 Algeria
Morocco 2-1 South Africa
Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
Malawi 2-1 Ghana
Semifinals
Algeria 1-3 Malawi
Morocco 0(1) – 0(3) Cameroon
World Cup 2027 play-off matches
South Africa 2-1 Nigeria
Côte d’Ivoire 1-2 Ghana
Third place play-off
Tomorrow, August 15
Algeria v Morocco (19h00)
WAfCON 2026 final
Sunday, August 16
Malawi v Cameroon (Moulay Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, (21h00)
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