Michaely Bihina sent Cameroon back to the Wafcon final for the first time since 2016 by saving an extra-time penalty and three more spot kicks in a shootout against Morocco.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper's heroics ensured Cameroon progressed to the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final at the expense of host nation Morocco, who suffered heartbreak again.
Bihina pushed away Fatima Tagnaout's attempt from 12 yards in the 118th minute to ensure the game in Rabat finished 0-0 after 120 minutes. She then brilliantly kept out efforts from Kenza Chapelle, Maryame Atiq, and Sakina Ouzraoui in the shootout.
The Indomitable Lionesses will face Malawi in Sunday's final after the southern Africans beat Algeria 3-1 earlier on Wednesday. Cameroon's run to the final is all the more remarkable given they were knocked out in qualifying and only progressed to the finals on the strength of their world ranking.
Morocco's dominance of the ball against an organised and disciplined Cameroon side was reflected in their chances, but they created little in the latter stages of the second half. The Atlas Lionesses came close to an opener in the 14th minute when Sanaa Mssoudy diverted Hanane Ait El Haj's right-wing cross against the right-hand upright.
A flurry of late chances came at the end of regulation time, with Imane Saoud shooting straight at Bihina, Mssoudy heading wide, and Michaela Abam firing over the Morocco bar. Abam then had a shot blocked towards the end of the first period of extra time, and Morocco defender Atiq headed over in the second half.
The match's key incident came right at the end of extra time when Morocco were presented with a glorious chance to win the tie following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, with Togolese official Vincentia Amedome deciding Nyadjou had caught Ouzraoui in the face with her arm. Ait El Haj had converted from the spot in the quarter-final win over South Africa, but substitute Tagnaout assumed responsibilities, and the winger's tame left-footed effort was palmed away by Bihina.
Cameroon's coach Valentine Nguele will need to nullify the threat of the Chawinga sisters Tabitha and Temwa when his side come up against Malawi on Sunday. The Indomitable Lionesses have lost three previous finals, and this will be a new challenge for them.
The Atlas Lionesses were runners-up in 2022 and reached the final of the delayed 2024 Wafcon last July but threw away a 2-0 half-time lead against Nigeria and were forced to settle for second place again. They have invested heavily in football in recent years and hired Spain's Women's World Cup winning manager Jorge Vilda in an attempt to claim a maiden continental crown.
Cameroon return to the final for the first time since losing to Nigeria as tournament hosts in 2016. The Indomitable Lionesses will need to be at their best to overcome the threat of Malawi, who have a strong team and will be looking to win their first Wafcon title.
On Thursday, Ivory Coast take on Ghana (17:00 GMT) and Nigeria meet South Africa (20:00 GMT) in African play-offs for the chance to go into an inter-continental qualifier for the 2027 Fifa Women's World Cup.
Source: Yahoo Sports