Tagnaout penalty miss sends Morocco into Women’s AFCON third-place play-off

Morocco’s hopes of reaching a third successive Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final were ended by Cameroon, who won a dramatic semi-final shootout 3-1 after the match finished goalless on home soil.

The defeat brought painful memories of the men’s national team’s loss in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, also played in Morocco, when the Atlas Lions were beaten 1-0 by Senegal.

The decisive moment came two minutes before the end of extra time. With the match heading towards penalties, Morocco were awarded a spot-kick in the 118th minute, offering Fatima Tagnaout the chance to secure victory and send the hosts into the final.

However, Cameroon goalkeeper Michele Bihina saved Tagnaout’s effort, keeping the tie level and setting up a penalty shootout.

Bihina then became the outstanding figure of the shootout, stopping three Moroccan penalties as Cameroon prevailed 3-1 to book their place in the final.

The late miss echoed the men’s final earlier this year, when Brahim Diaz failed to convert a crucial penalty against Senegal. Morocco were subsequently beaten in a match that followed a similarly damaging pattern.

For Morocco’s women, the result ended their bid to win the continental title for the first time. They had reached the final in the previous two editions, losing to South Africa in 2022 and Nigeria in 2024.

The Atlas Lionesses must now settle for a place in the third-place play-off. They will face Algeria in the tournament’s second meeting between the two sides.

Morocco won the earlier encounter 1-0 in the group stage, but Algeria will have the opportunity to respond when the teams meet again.

The hosts will be seeking a quick recovery from their semi-final disappointment, while Algeria will aim to avenge their earlier defeat and finish the competition with a bronze-medal position.

Cameroon’s route to the final has already included one of the tournament’s biggest surprises. They eliminated Nigeria in the quarter-finals, ending the run of the competition’s record winners.

Nigeria have claimed the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title 10 times in 13 editions since the tournament began in 1998. Cameroon’s victory over the Super Falcons therefore represented a major achievement for the Indomitable Lionesses.

They followed that success by overcoming Morocco and moving within one match of winning the continental crown.

In the other semi-final, Malawi continued their historic campaign with a 3-1 victory over Algeria to reach the final for the first time.

Malawi benefited from a red card shown to an Algerian player and used their numerical advantage to score twice in the first half. The goals came from sisters Tabitha Chawinga and Temwa Chawinga.

Algeria reduced the deficit through Ikram Adjabi in the 60th minute, but Tabitha Chawinga struck again in the 76th minute to complete her double and restore Malawi’s two-goal advantage.

That result made Malawi the first team, apart from the finalists in the inaugural 1998 edition, to reach the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final during their first participation in the competition.

Cameroon will meet Malawi in Sunday’s final, with the fixture bringing together one side with a long history and extensive experience in the tournament and another enjoying the greatest continental achievement in its history.