By Angu Lesley Ngwa Akonwi
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
Algeria took a vital first-leg advantage in their bid for back-to-back Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification after defeating ten-player Cameroon 2–1 in Oran on Thursday night.
In a tense and tactical contest defined by set pieces, all three goals came from dead-ball situations — but Algeria’s early precision proved decisive.
Midfielder Ghoutia Karchouni opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a superbly curled free-kick that sailed beyond Ange Bawou in the Cameroon goal. Twelve minutes later, Marine Dafeur doubled the lead, firing home a rebound after another set-piece delivery caused chaos in the Lionesses’ box.
Cameroon’s troubles deepened before halftime when defender Claudia Dabda was sent off for a last-player foul just outside the area — a decision that left the visitors with ten players for nearly an hour.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Indomitable Lionesses kept their composure and continued to fight. Their persistence paid off deep into stoppage time when Nchout Njoya Ajara converted from the spot to make it 2–1 — her second goal in as many appearances against Algeria, having also found the net in their 2018 WAFCON meeting.
The result leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of next Monday’s return leg in Douala, where Cameroon will look to overturn the deficit and preserve their proud qualification record. The Lionesses, now under Jean Baptiste Bisseck, are desperate to avoid missing consecutive WAFCON tournaments for the first time in history, while Algeria eye successive appearances at the continental showpiece for the first time in over a decade.
With a place at WAFCON 2026 in Morocco on the line, the stage is set for a fiercely contested second leg in Douala — one that will test Cameroon’s resilience and Bisseck’s tactical acumen against a confident Algerian side.
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