Cape Verde finished their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a point.
They took it off the group winners, in the match where Cameroon had twenty-six shots.
Three on target out of twenty-six
Cameroon generated 1.84 expected goals and had five big chances. Cape Verde had 0.41 and none.
But of those twenty-six attempts, only three were on target. Thirteen went wide, ten were blocked and one hit the post.
The Indomitable Lionesses won twelve corners, had forty-two touches in the opposition box and swung in thirty-four crosses. Four found a teammate.
Cape Verde had five shots and made sixty-seven clearances.
The goal came from the forward who had not scored
All three of Cameroon’s goals in the tournament had come from the same player. Ngah Manga began this match on the bench.
Grâce Mendoua scored it on 28 minutes, set up by Naomi Eto.
Cameroon came in with top spot already secured and changed six of the side that faced Ghana. They changed captain too: the armband went to Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné, back in the eleven at thirty-seven.
And the equaliser was made by the own-goal scorer
Ivânia Moreira levelled it on 50 minutes.
The pass came from Eleia Vieira, who had put through her own net on their debut against Ghana.
Ten days later she provided the assist for the goal that gives Cape Verde the first point in their history at the tournament.
Cameroon scored again and had it disallowed
On 73 minutes, three after coming on, Michaela Abam made it 1-2.
The referee ruled it out for a foul in the box.
Cameroon had made a triple substitution on 70 minutes and the goal came from the third of those replacements.
Seven points, and the clean sweep gets away again
Cameroon close the group stage on seven points, the same tally they managed in 2018.
They have not won all three group matches since 2016, the edition they hosted and which ended in the final they lost to Nigeria.
They remain unbeaten in the group stage since 2014: twelve matches.
Cape Verde leave having done something every day
The Cape Verdeans lost their first two matches and finished bottom of the group, on one point with three goals scored.
On their debut they defended and lost 2-0. Against Mali they scored the first two goals in their tournament history and lost 3-2. On Thursday night they drew with the group winners.
Cameroon play their quarter-final against Nigeria on Sunday, at 18:00 local time, at the same Larbi Zaouli Stadium. It is a rerun of the 2016 final.
Cape Verde 1-1 Cameroon
Thursday 6 August · Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca
0-1 Mendoua (28’), 1-1 Moreira (50’)
