Already through to the knockout stage, Cameroon was held to a 1-1 draw by Cape Verde in its final Group B match of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
While the result had little impact on the Indomitable Lionesses qualification, it marked a historic achievement for Cape Verde, who secured a memorable point to end their tournament campaign.
Having already qualified for the next round, Cameroon got off to a perfect start against a Cape Verdean team that had already been eliminated.
On a brilliant opening play, Grace Davilla Mendoua, the FC Ebolowa Filles forward, capitalized on the Indomitable Lionesses’ dominance by opening the scoring just before halftime (0-1).
After returning from the locker room, the script was completely reversed. With nothing to lose, Cape Verde surprised its opponent in the 50th minute with a goal by Moreira (1-1), rewarding the tenacity of the underdog islanders.
Despite Cameroon’s late-game assaults, the final score remained 1-1.
In their final match of the tournament, Cape Verde pulled off the feat of holding their own against one of the continent’s powerhouses and exited the competition having earned their very first point.
