Cameroon and debutants Malawi will meet in a historic CAF Ladies’s Africa Cup of Nations remaining on the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday, with either side chasing a primary continental title. Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 CAT.
For Malawi, the event represents a outstanding rise.
The Scorchers are enjoying on the WAFCON for the primary time and have already gone additional than any earlier Southern African debutant. A 3-1 semi-final victory over Algeria secured their place within the remaining, making Malawi solely the second debutant, after Nigeria in 1998, to win no less than 4 matches in open play at a single WAFCON.
Their marketing campaign has additionally been powered by the Chawinga sisters. Temwa Chawinga has scored 5 objectives and offered two assists, giving her seven aim involvements, essentially the most of any participant within the event.
She moved degree with Zambia’s Barbra Banda on the prime of the scoring charts after scoring in opposition to Algeria. Her sister, Tabitha, additionally struck twice within the semi-final to take her tally to 4 objectives.
Collectively, the Chawinga sisters have scored 9 of Malawi’s 12 objectives, underlining their significance to a workforce that has produced the event highest aim.
Malawi have additionally proven outstanding resilience, successful each matches by which they’ve had a participant despatched off.
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Cameroon, nonetheless, arrive with higher expertise. The Indomitable Lionesses are showing of their fourth WAFCON remaining, with earlier appearances coming in 2004, 2014 and 2016. All three led to defeat to Nigeria, and Cameroon have but to attain in a WAFCON remaining, conceding 8 objectives throughout these matches.
This time, they’ll face a distinct opponent and can hope to show expertise into historical past. Victory would make Cameroon the third nation to win each the women and men’s Africa Cup of Nations, following Nigeria and South Africa.
Cameroon have reached the ultimate by way of a disciplined defensive marketing campaign. They’ve conceded solely 2 objectives within the event and have saved three clear sheets, together with successive shootouts within the knockout rounds.
Their semi-final in opposition to hosts Morocco was settled by a penalty shoot-out after a goalless draw, with goalkeeper Michaely Bihina making historical past by changing into the primary Cameroonian goalkeeper to avoid wasting three penalties in a WAFCON.
Bihina has been significantly essential within the knockout stage, making 12 saves throughout Cameroon’s two matches, together with 9 in opposition to Nigeria within the quarter-final.
The ultimate additionally presents a conflict of contrasting types and event journeys. Malawi have scored 12 objectives however are but to maintain a clear sheet, whereas Cameroon have scored solely 5 however conceded simply two.
Traditionally, neither aspect has a bonus on this fixture as a result of Sunday’s encounter would be the first WAFCON assembly between Cameroon and Malawi.
It should even be solely the third remaining in WAFCON historical past by which neither finalist has beforehand lifted the trophy. The winner will change into solely the fourth completely different champion after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.
