AWCON 2018: Nigeria beat Cameroon on penalties to reach AWCON finals

Holders Nigeria beat Cameroon 4-2 on penalties to reach the final and also pick the first of three tickets to the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.

The game, as expected started off on a high note with both teams making incursions into their opponents half but no real penetration.

Cameroon dominated the early exchanges and nearly found the opener in the sixth minute through Gabrielle Aboudi Oguene, but her goal bound shot was parried to safety by the Nigeria goalkeeper Oluehi Tochukwu who had a busy afternoon.

The Super Falcons took up the challenge with the likes of Oshoala Asisat creating holes in the Cameroonian defence, but in most occasions failed to find the target.

The game leaped into another gear in the second half with the brightest chance going to Cameroon again but Ajara Njoya’s shot rattled the crossbar in in the 59th minute with the Nigeria goalkeeper already beaten.

With nothing to separate both teams after 90 minutes, the game thus went into extra time. And this time both teams tried to win in, but they lacked the final bite in terms of goal scoring forcing the game into the lottery of penalty shootout.

Nigeria was the luckier of the two teams at the shootout as they converted four of their kicks as against two for Cameroon.

Nigeria scored all their four kicks taken by Ebi Onome, Ajibade Bisayo, Oshoala Asisat and Ngozi Ebere. On the other hand, Njoya Ajara Nchout and Raissa Feudjio Tchuanyo scored for Cameroon whilst Enganamouit Gaelle Deborah and Edith Ngo Mbeleck failed to score from the spot.