Women’s Soccer, July 2022: A Series
This post is part of an ongoing series devoted to the 117 games of international women’s football played in July 2022, covering the semifinals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. If you’d like to start from the beginning (or to pick and choose your competitions), you can do so from my opening post. Next up is the finals of CONCACAF’s W Championship between the United States and Canada.

Women’s Africa Cup of Nations – Semifinals and Repechage (17^th-18^th)

Sunday the 17^th, the day before the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinals, two repechage matches were played amongst the losing quarterfinalists to determine which two teams would qualify for the Inter-Confederation Play-offs in February. At halftime of the Euros’ final Group C games, Senegal kicked off against Tunisia in the fifth of eight games that day.

Senegal were the more threatening team, with Nguenar Ndiaye looking the most threatening. In the second half, Mama Diop drew a challenge from Tunisian goalkeeper Soulayma Jebrani that could easily have been a penalty, though VAR eventually denied the claim. Still scoreless at the end of regulation, the game went directly to a penalties—Senegal’s second straight shoot-out.

Boldly, Tunisian manager Samir Landolsi opted to replace Jebrani with Nisreen Zenzi for the shootout. Zenzi managed a save against substitute Habsatou Diallo, but Ndeye Diaw saved against Mariem Houij, and Ghada Aydi hit the post. Korka Fall, who had missed the first kick in the quarterfinal shoot-out with Zambia, scored the clinching penalty to send Senegal to the February play-offs.

In the sixth game on the 17^th, Cameroon were significant favorites against Botswana, and looked the part. Ajara Nchout Njoya, in particular, looked threatening from the start; and in first half stoppage time she ripped a shot on the turn from 27 yards out to put Cameroon ahead. Botswana’s best chance at equalizing came from the outside of Refilwe Thokalele’s boot at 73’, and from the resulting corner that created confusion at the far post. A red card for late substitute Fadimatou Aretouyap made for an exciting conclusion to the match, but Cameroon held onto the win.

Monday the 18^th, a second consecutive 8-game day, began with the quarterfinal between Zambia and South Africa, played on Nelson Mandela Day. Zambia had an electric start to the game, creating several chances in the opening 15’. Although South Africa controlled possession, Zambia was the greater threat on the counter-attack throughout the first half. Grace Chanda, in particular, looked threatening.

Though manager Desiree Ellis made a double change for South Africa at the start of the second, Zambia picked up where they left off as the more threatening side. Slowly, however, the balance of power shifted over the course of the half. Zambia made a double change shortly after the hour mark, and a third change about 10’ later. Immediately after that change, South Africa had an attack that forced Catherine Musonda to punch a right cross off the head halftime substitute Hildah Magaia.

With just over 5’ remaining in regulation, the two sides traded chances, Chanda curling a shot from the top of the box narrowly wide of the top right post before Magaia worked a 1-2 with Jermaine Seoposenwe to get into the box and force a brilliant reaction save out of Musonda. On the whole, however, it was now South Africa who looked most likely to break the tie.

At 89’, Noxolo Cesane hit a lovely diagonal pass to feed Seoposenwe in at the top right of the box. Martha Tembo appeared to make a brilliant tackle to strip Seoposenwe as she entered the box, and play continued despite the South African striker being sent flying by the tackle. But after about a minute, play was stopped, and VAR replays showed that Seoposenwe had touched the ball first, deflecting it off Tembo’s shin. At 90’+2’, a penalty was awarded.

Musonda had a reputation as a penalty saver, having made two saves in a shoot-out against a South African B-team to win a 3^rd place game in the COSAFA Cup (an annual contest between Southern African nations) the previous October. But at 90’+4’, Linda Motlhalo went low to Musonda’s right, and despite guessing correctly, the keeper couldn’t get a hand to it. In the final 4’ of stoppage time, Zambia pushed to equalize, but it was not to be. Though not an undeserved win, it was a crushing end to an evenly matched game.

Starting midway through the Euros’ final Group D games, the semifinal between hosts Morocco and Nigeria was the fourth game on the 18^th. Having been rested in the quarterfinal against Botswana, Salma Amani returned to Morocco’s midfield in a free attacking role, and was very active in the first half.

The half’s predominant feature, however, was Nigeria’s relentless press, on a night when the temperature for the 9:00 PM kick-off was still 74°. Their best chance came at 34’, when a pressured Yasmin Mrabet made a poor back pass that would have been picked off by Ifeoma Onumonu had not an alert Khadija Er-Rmichi raced off her line to tackle the ball off the striker’s toe. The ball went straight to Christy Ucheibe, though, and Morocco were fortunate that her shot went wide of the empty net.

But at the start of the second half, Halimatu Ayinde got a red card for stepping on Rosella Ayane’s heel, leaving Nigeria a woman down for the remainder of the game. Morocco understandably took control of the game from there, but just after the hour mark Nigeria went up against the run of play, Rasheedat Adibaje putting in a cross for a header from Onumonu that came off the post but was deflected back in for an own goal that put Nigeria ahead.

That unexpected lead stood for only 5’, as keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was able to get a hand on a right cross from Ayane, but not to stop Sanaâ Mssoudy from equalizing off the rebound. Then, less 5’later, Adibaje went in for a hard tackle that VAR (correctly) upgraded from yellow to red, bringing Nigeria two women down with 20’ in regulation.

All that was left was for Morocco to finish the job—but that didn’t happen, neither in regulation nor in extra time. Though Morocco dominated, they were not able to score the winner. In the second period of extra time, late substitute Gift Monday nearly stole the game for Nigeria, cutting in on a poor back pass and beating Er-Rmichi but hitting the crossbar.

In the penalty shoot-out, Er-Rmichi managed to get a hand on Onumonu’s effort down the middle for a save early on. From there, both sides finished out. Ayane—probably Morocco’s best player on the evening—took the final penalty, and at least initially appeared not to realize that she had put the home side through to a final against South Africa. The crowd, to be sure, knew what their Atlas Lionesses had accomplished.

Next up: W Championship – Final and 3^rd Place