Qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is almost complete after the inter-confederation playoffs kicked off over the weekend in New Zealand and one African team moved on to the final round while another crashed out. Cameroon moved on to the final round and the Indomitable Lionesses are one win away from clinching their spot at Australia/New Zealand following a 2-0 victory over Thailand in the semifinal round.
After sustained pressure and some frustrating misses, Cameroon finally made their breakthrough late on in the 79th minute when substitute Gabrielle Onguene was left with a simple tap-in after Ajara Nchout did all the work with a run down the right wing before crossing for the wide open forward. Onguene put the Lionesses beyond reach with a clinical finish three minutes later to secure a matchup in the final round against Portugal on Wednesday.
However the news was not so good for Senegalese supporters after the Lionesses of Teranga fell by a lopsided 4-0 score to Haiti. Senegal created a few opportunities in the first half but an excellent header off a corner kick from Haiti defender Kethna Louis put her side ahead at the end of the first half. The Haitian selection took advantage of a failed offside trap to double the lead from a set piece in the 55th minute before adding two more in the span of two minutes to complete the scoring before sixty-six minutes had elapsed.
Highlights from both semifinal matches are below.
Scores
Semifinal
Senegal 0-4 Haiti
Cameroon 2-0 Thailand
Final- February 22
Cameroon vs. Portugal
Highlights
Cameroon 2-0 Thailand
Senegal 0-4 Haiti
