The exciting game yesterday at at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca
* Eve Pereira goes in the island nation’s football annals as the first scorer at the WAfCON when she equalised after going down 1-0 in first half
* Alivia Kelly pulled one back in the 88th minute when they were down 3-1 as they eye to finish the Group D against another giant Cameroon
Maravi Express
In their second match in debut appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON), Cape Verde Mali registered two goals as they pushed to the end to lose 2-3 to veterans.
Advertisement
And Eve Pereira goes in the island nation’s football annals as the first scorer at a WAfCON when she equalised after going down 1-0 in first half while Alivia Kelly pulled one back in the 88th minute when they were down 3-1.
They were drawn with three top west African sides in Group D, in which they lost 0-2 to Ghana in the opening match and they will finish with another giant Cameroon on Thursday, August 6.
In the game, Mali — who lost 1-2 to Cameroon in the opener — revived their campaign through the tense victory at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in which they took the lead in the 29th minute when Aissata Traore created the opening for Kone Oumou.
Fatoumata Niakate restored Mali’s advantage early in the second half, before Fatoumata Diarra scored what proved to be the decisive third goal in the 79th minute.
Cape Verde refused to give up and pulled one back through Alivia Kelly in the 88th minute, but Mali held on to claim three vital points.
The result moves Mali level with Ghana on three points after Cameroon had earlier beaten the Black Queens 1-0 to move top of Group D with six points.
Cape Verde remain bottom without a point, but their performance showed character in a match they pushed until the final whistle.
The meeting was a do-or-die fixture for both sides, especially after the two teams had already met in qualification for this edition in which Cape Verde beat Mali 4-3 on aggregate in qualifying to reach their first continental finals.
Cape Verde had gone five matches without scoring before this fixture, but they ended that run in the 36th minute.
The island nation had come into the tournament hoping to build on the momentum of their historic qualification campaign, and Pereira’s equaliser gave them a platform to compete.
For Mali, the win was essential as it prevented them from falling out of contention and gives them momentum before their final group match against Cameroon.
The Indomitable Lionesses followed up last week’s 2-1 win over Mali with another disciplined display against Ghana to move to the brink of the quarter-finals ahead of Group D’s final clashes.
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 WAfCON meeting between Ghana and Cameroon since 1998 and the Indomitable Lionesses made their 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 but 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 and the Black Queens 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.
Ghana will need a positive result in their final group match to keep their qualification hopes alive when facing Mali.—Reporting by CAFonline; editing by Maravi Express
Results and 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 stages
Group A
Algeria 2-0 Senegal
Morocco 4-0 Kenya
Senegal 1-0 Kenya
Morocco 1-0 Algeria
Today, August 3
Senegal v Morocco (22h00)
Kenya v Algeria (22h00)
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
Tomorrow, August 4
Burkina Faso v South Africa (22h00)
Tanzania v Côte d’Ivoire (22h00)
Group C
Zambia 6-0 Egypt
Nigeria 3-2 Malawi
Egypt 1-3 Malawi
Nigeria 1-9 Zambia
Wednesday, August 5
Egypt v Nigeria (22h00)
Malawi v Zambia (22h00)
Group D
Ghana 2-0 Cape Verde
Cameroon 2-1 Mali
Ghana 0-1 Cameroon
Mali 3-2 Cape Verde
Thursday, August 6
Mali v Ghana (22h00)
Cape Verde v Cameroon (22h00)
Quarterfinals
Saturday, August 8
QF 2: Winner Group B v 2nd Place Group A (19h00)
QF 1: Winner Group A v 2nd Place Group B (22h00)
Sunday, August 9
QF 4: Winner Group D v 2nd Place Group C (19h00)
QF 3: Winner Group C v 2nd Place Group D (22h00)
Semifinals
Wednesday, August 12
SF2: Winner QF2 v Winner QF3 (19h00)
SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF4 (22h00)
World Cup 2027 play-off matches
Thursday, August 13
Loser QF2 v Loser QF3 (19h00)
Loser QF1 v Loser QF4 (22h00)
Third place play-off
Saturday, August 15
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 (19h00)
WAfCON 2026 final
Sunday, August 16
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (Moulay Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, (21h00)
Advertisement