Cameroon made a winning start to their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign after Ngah Manga scored twice in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mali in a fiercely contested Group D encounter in Casablanca.
The Indomitable Lionesses extended their impressive record against their West African rivals, claiming a fourth victory in six WAFCON meetings while collecting three crucial points in the race for a place in the knockout stage.
The victory also sets up a mouth-watering second group fixture against Ghana’s Black Queens, who defeated tournament debutants Cape Verde 2-0 earlier on Wednesday to move provisionally to the top of the standings.
Cameroon and Mali entered the contest with plenty of history between them, and they once again delivered an entertaining contest that swung from end to end before Manga proved to be the difference.
The Galatasaray forward gave Cameroon the perfect start after just 14 minutes with a composed finish.
Meeting Monique Ngock’s long ball, Manga recovered after an awkward first touch before calmly poking the ball beyond advancing goalkeeper Fatoumata Karentao to hand the Central Africans the advantage.
Despite conceding early, Mali responded positively and gradually found their rhythm.
Their persistence paid off in the 30th minute after goalkeeper Michaely Bihina brought down Aïssata Traoré while attempting to gather a through ball inside the penalty area.
The incident led to a lengthy VAR review lasting approximately seven minutes as officials checked for a possible foul earlier in the move. After consulting the pitchside monitor, the referee upheld the original decision and awarded the penalty.
Traoré, who had earned the spot-kick herself, stepped up confidently and converted to restore parity for Mali.
The equaliser ensured the teams went into the break level after an evenly balanced first half in which both sides created promising opportunities without being able to seize complete control.
The intensity remained high after the restart, with both teams continuing to search for a breakthrough in an open contest.
Mali nearly took the lead but also had goalkeeper Karentao to thank for keeping the score level just after the hour mark. She produced an outstanding close-range save with her ankles on the goal line to deny the lively Charlene Meyong.
However, the Mali captain’s fortunes changed minutes later.
Karentao brought down the advancing Manga inside the area, resulting in another penalty after a VAR review.
Manga calmly dusted herself off before confidently converting from the spot in the 72nd minute to restore Cameroon’s lead and complete her brace.
The goal proved decisive, although Mali continued to press forward in search of another equaliser.
The West Africans came agonisingly close in stoppage time when substitute Fatoumata Diarra found herself in an excellent position inside the area. However, her effort lacked the power to beat Bihina, who gathered comfortably to preserve Cameroon’s advantage.
The victory continues Cameroon’s dominance over Mali in this fixture and provides the Indomitable Lionesses with an important platform as Group D begins to take shape.
Attention now turns to Sunday’s second round of fixtures, where Cameroon face Ghana in one of the most anticipated matches of the group.
Both sides opened their campaigns with victories, making the encounter a significant battle in the race for quarter-final qualification.
Mali, meanwhile, will attempt to recover against Cape Verde as they seek their first points of the tournament and keep their knockout hopes alive.
