By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
One of the African women’s football powerhouses, Cameroon will today in Morocco try again to grab the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup ticket when they confront Botswana in the second match of CAF Play-off qualifiers which will also see Senegal take on Tunisia in the first match in Casablanca.
This is even as Mares of Botswana are looking to write more history when they take on 2016 WAFCON finalists Cameroon this evening at Complexe Moulay El Hassan in Rabat.
The Mares, who are the only WAFCON 2022 debutants that made it out of the group stages and into the knockout phase, have impressed many with their style of play, resilience and most of all their quality of football.
They might be out of title contention at the African showpiece but they still stand a chance to play at the world stage for the very first time in their history, however, giants Cameroon stand in their way.
For Cameroon, having tasted the feeling of playing at the World Cup first in 2015 before returning in 2019, the Indomitable Lionesses want to return to the big stage even if it means taking the longer route now that they failed to make it automatically as semifinalists at the on-going WAFCON.
“I believe that Botswana and us are equal. We will play to our best. Losing to Nigeria woke us up and now we have turned our focus to qualifying for the World Cup.
“We will keep our hope to achieve this because we need to win this match. We will do our best,” explained Cameroon’s coach Gabriel Zabo.
The Indomitable Lionesses have seemed like a shadow of themselves for the most part of this tournament drawing with Zambia in their opening fixture before coming from behind to force a 1-1 draw with debutants Togo and defeating Tunisia 2-0 in their last Group B game but was eliminated by Nigeria after a 1-0 loss in the quarter final.
CAF inter-Confederation
play-off fixtures
*Senegal vs Tunisia
*Botswana vs Cameroon
