Cameroon made a winning start to their 2026 Womens Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign on Wednesday night, beating Mali 2-1 in a thrilling contest ahead of their showdown against Ghanas Black Queens.On the matchday, Ngah Manga scored in each half to hand the Indomitable Lionesses all three points.The victory also gives Cameroon early momentum in the race for a place in the knockout stages ahead of a crucial clash with Ghana.Cameroon made a bright start and took the lead in the 14th minute through Manga.The striker showed excellent control to bring down a lofted pass with her chest before calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper at the near post to give the Central Africans an early advantage.Mali responded well and drew level on the half-hour mark after goalkeeper Michaely Bihina fouled Assata Traor while attempting to collect a through ball inside the penalty area.Traor stepped up and confidently converted the resulting spot-kick to make it 1-1.Both teams continued to create chances before the break, but neither could find another breakthrough in an evenly contested first half.The match continued at a high tempo after the restart, with both sides searching for a decisive goal.That moment arrived in the 72nd minute when the referee awarded Cameroon a penalty following a VAR review.Manga kept her composure from the spot to score her second goal of the evening and restore the Indomitable Lionesses’ lead.Cameroon will now turn attention to a big game against a strong Ghana side that began their WAFCON 2026 campaign with a 2-0 victory over debutants Cape Verde.
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