Cameroon hold a narrow 1-0 lead over Ghana at the break, courtesy of a coolly executed 19th-minute penalty by Ngah Manga.
The decisive moment of the opening half arrived when refereeing officials adjudged Ghana’s Benedicte Simon to have handled the ball inside the penalty area. Stepping up to the spot under pressure, Manga made no mistake, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with a beautiful finish to break the deadlock and put the Indomitable Lionesses ahead.
Ghana responded with urgency, attempting to play their way back into the contest. Doris Boaduwaa came agonisingly close to pulling the Black Queens level after connecting with a well-worked team move, but her final effort lacked the power needed to beat the Cameroonian goalkeeper, who gathered securely.
Despite controlling 54% of ball possession and tallying 4 touches in the opposition box, Ghana struggled to break through a resilient Cameroonian defensive shape, registering just 3 shots with an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.16.
Cameroon proved far more dangerous in attack, generating 0.83 xG from their 5 total shots and creating the half’s only clear-cut big chance via the penalty spot.
With 45 minutes remaining, Ghana will need to sharpen their edge in the final third, while Cameroon look set to manage their advantage in what promises to be an intense second half.
