The Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat was meant to be a fortress. Fifty thousand Moroccan fans had packed the stands, draped in red and green, ready to sing their Atlas Lionesses to a third consecutive WAFCON final. Instead, they left in stunned silence, witnesses to one of the most remarkable goalkeeping performances in African football history.
Cameroon's Michaely Bihina, all 22 years of her, stood between Morocco and destiny. She saved not one, not two, but four penalties on a single night—including a 118th-minute spot-kick that would have sent the hosts through—to propel the Indomitable Lionesses into Sunday's final against debutants Malawi.
A Night of Heroics
The semi-final had been a tense, nervy affair. Morocco dominated possession but could not break down a disciplined Cameroon defence. The breakthrough came in the most dramatic way possible. In the 118th minute, with extra time winding down, referee Vincentia Amedome pointed to the spot after a VAR review. The stadium erupted. Substitute Fatima Tagnaout stepped up, the weight of a nation on her shoulders.
Bihina read the run perfectly, diving to her right to palm away the tame effort. The hush that followed was deafening.
The penalty shootout that followed was Bihina's stage. After Hanane Ait El Haj converted for Morocco, Bihina went to work. She denied Kenza Chapelle, Maryame Atiq, and finally Sakina Ouzraoui. When teenage defender Maryam Nyadjou stepped up to slot home the winning penalty for Cameroon, the dream was over for the hosts.
It was head coach Valentine Nguele who had set the tone for the team's mentality going into the semi-final. Speaking before the match, she warned her players of the monumental task: "We're going to play against an entire country. The message is simple: enjoy yourself, follow instructions, and give it your all. There should be no regrets."
Her players listened. Facing 50,000 hostile fans and a 118th-minute penalty, they had no regrets—only a place in the final.
Who Is Michaely Bihina?
Born on December 28, 2003, Michaely Kyria Bihina has been rising through the ranks quietly. The 1.80-metre keeper began her career in Cameroon with Social FC du Mbam before stints at Canon de Yaoundé and Éclair de Sa'a. She made her top-flight debut with Canon at just 15 years old and even won a silver medal at the 2019 African Games in Rabat—the same stadium where she would later break Moroccan hearts.
Her performances caught the attention of European scouts, and she now plays for Portuguese giants Benfica. In the 2023/2024 season, she recorded eight clean sheets in 12 appearances for the club. Her goalkeeping idols? André Onana, Thibaut Courtois, and Manuel Neuer—from whom she "tries to take something from each."
At just 22, Bihina has already established herself as one of Africa's most promising shot-stoppers. Her penalty-saving record at both club and international levels is becoming legendary. While statistics at the club level are harder to come by, her international record speaks volumes: during the 2026 WAFCON campaign alone, she has conceded just two goals, made twelve saves, and saved four penalties in a single match. She earned Player of the Match honours in the quarter-final against Nigeria, where she made nine saves against the ten-time champions. After her semi-final penalty shootout heroics, she was again named ‘Woman of the Match’ last night.
A Tournament of Redemption
This run to the final is remarkable for more than just the penalty saves. Cameroon was knocked out in the qualifiers for this tournament and only progressed to the tournament based on their world ranking after CAF expanded the competition. They changed coaches, rebuilt a team, and found their wall in Bihina.
For Morocco, the defeat brings a painful end to their bid to reach a third consecutive WAFCON final and claim their first African title on home soil. For Cameroon, a campaign already transformed by their quarter-final victory over ten-time champions Nigeria has produced another major result—and the Indomitable Lionesses are now one victory away from becoming African champions.
What Comes Next?
Cameroon has reached four WAFCON finals—2004, 2014, 2016, and now 2026—and lost every single one. They have never lifted the trophy. Their opponent on Sunday will be a Malawian side making their tournament debut, a rank outsider that has already beaten Nigeria and Ghana on their fairy-tale run.
For the first time in WAFCON history, neither Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, nor South Africa will be in the final. A new champion is guaranteed. But for Cameroon and their sensational young goalkeeper, the question is simple: is this finally going to be their year?
"Either we decide to go [to Brazil], or we go back home," Bihina said before the Nigeria win. She's already booked her ticket to Brazil. On Sunday, she'll try to write the final chapter of what has become the story of her life.
Will Cameroon finally lift the trophy, or will Malawi's fairytale continue?
One thing is certain: with Michaely Bihina in goal, the Lionesses have a wall that could finally turn three decades of heartbreak into glory.
Michaely Bihina's statistics during the 2026 WAFCON: 2 goals conceded, 12 saves, 4 penalty saves, Player of the Match vs Nigeria
and Morocco.