Cameroon do not need another point to finish top of Group D.
They can take three.
The Indomitable Lionesses have defeated Mali and Ghana, the two sides who can still join them on six points. Their head-to-head advantage guarantees them first place even if they lose to Cape Verde.
No result can rescue the debutants either. Defeats in their opening two matches have eliminated them.
The qualification places have been decided, but both sides still have something to pursue. Cameroon can complete a perfect group stage for the first time since 2016. Cape Verde are seeking the first point in their history at the tournament.
Nine points and no goals conceded in 2016
The last time Cameroon won all three group games, they were playing at home.
They began the 2016 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-0 victory over Egypt, defeated South Africa 1-0 and completed the first phase with another 2-0 win against Zimbabwe.
Nine points, five goals scored and none conceded.
The Indomitable Lionesses then advanced to the final, where Nigeria defeated them 1-0. That remains their most recent appearance in the title match and the last group stage they completed with three victories.
Cameroon collected seven points in 2018. They took five in 2022 and did not feature at the last edition.
Their return has begun with two wins.
Cameroon defeated Mali 2-1 in their opening match and beat Ghana 0-1 four days later. They have now gone eleven consecutive group-stage games without defeat; their most recent loss remains the 1-0 reverse against Ghana in 2014.
Avoiding defeat against Cape Verde would extend that run to twelve matches. Victory would give Cameroon a nine-point group-stage total for the first time in ten years.
Two victories built in different ways
Cameroon have not needed to control their two matches in the same way.
They had 67% possession against Mali, attempted fifteen shots and generated 1.31 expected goals. Ngah Manga scored in the 14th minute and converted a penalty in the 73rd to decide the match.
Against Ghana, Cameroon surrendered possession.
The Indomitable Lionesses had 41% of the ball, made 41 clearances and committed 29 fouls. They managed only one shot on target during the entire match.
It was enough.
That single effort on target was the penalty converted by Ngah Manga in the 19th minute. Ghana attempted eleven shots and thought they had equalised in the 79th, but a video review ruled out Evelyn Badu’s goal for offside.
Cameroon have scored three goals at the tournament and all three belong to the same player. Ngah Manga struck twice against Mali, scored again against Ghana and has been directly responsible for every goal her side have scored.
With first place secured, Cameroon can now manage her minutes before the quarter-finals. That still leaves them with the chance to complete a perfect group stage.
Cape Verde went from one shot on target to two goals
Cape Verde lost their opening two matches, but they did not lose them in the same manner.
Their debut against Ghana was an almost permanent exercise in resistance. The Cape Verdeans made 51 clearances, faced 26 shots and managed only one effort on target.
They lost 2-0. Doris Boaduwaa opened the scoring before Eleia Vieira put the second into her own net. Kleydiana Borges was sent off in stoppage time.
Against Mali, Cape Verde had more possession than their opponents, won more duels and attempted ten shots. Evy Pereira scored in the 36th minute to register the country’s first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations goal. Alivia Kelly added the second in the 88th.
It was not enough. Mali won 3-2 and ended the debutants’ hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
Cape Verde enter their final match with no points and five goals conceded, but having shown that they can offer more than resistance. A draw would put their first point on the board; victory would allow them to leave with the first win in their history.
Their positions can no longer change
Cameroon will finish first and face Nigeria on Sunday. Winning that quarter-final would secure an automatic place at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Cape Verde will finish fourth and return home after the match.
Nothing that happens at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium will change those positions. The game will decide a different kind of record.
Cameroon can complete a perfect group stage for the first time since the edition in which they reached their most recent final.
Cape Verde have ninety minutes to prevent their first appearance from ending without a single point.
Cape Verde v Cameroon
Thursday 6 August · 21:00 in Morocco / 21:00 BST
Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca
