By FemI Atolagbe
Cameroon have sent shockwaves through the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after stunning defending champions, Nigeria 1-0 in their quarter-final clash in Casablanca on Sunday.
Myriam Maéva Nyadjou Wamen struck in the 19th minute to give the Indomitable Lionesses the decisive advantage at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, before a determined defensive display saw them hold off a relentless Nigerian challenge.
The Super Falcons dominated much of the latter stages of the first half after conceding and continued to press for an equaliser following the restart.
But Cameroon refused to buckle, with their goalkeeper making a crucial close-range save in the second half to deny Nigeria and preserve the lead.
The defeat brings Nigeria’s title defence to a premature end and ends their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
It also means the Super Falcons will miss out on the automatic qualification ticket for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil reserved for the four WAFCON semi-finalists.
Nigeria had arrived in the quarter-finals as defending champions and with a dominant historical record against Cameroon at the WAFCON.
The Super Falcons had defeated the Indomitable Lionesses 1-0 at the same stage in 2022.
They had also reached the knockout stages at every centralised edition of the competition and were chasing a record-extending 10th appearance at the Women’s World Cup.
Instead, it is Cameroon who continue their campaign.
The Indomitable Lionesses will face Morocco in the semi-finals after the hosts defeated South Africa 2-1 in their quarter-final.
For Nigeria, Sunday’s defeat represents a bitter end to their title defence and a significant blow to their hopes of securing early qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.