The first set of games at the 2010 African Women’s Football Championship wrapped up this afternoon in South Africa. In Group B today, Cameroon striker Ngono Michele scored the equalizer in the 52nd minute to salvage a 2-2 tie against defending champions Equatorial Guinea. Jade Boho staked Equatorial Guinea to a 1-0 lead just two minutes into the game, and in the 31st minute her team went ahead on a goal from De Santana Barbosa. Cameroon’s Manie Patiance scored at the end of the first half to pull within one.
In the second game of the day, Ghana beat Algeria, 2-1, with a come-from-behind goal in the second half by Agnes Aduako, who also scored Ghana’s first goal. In the second game yesterday in Group A, Nigeria beat Mali, 5-0. Perpetua Nkwocha scored a hat trick in the first half, and Stella Mbachu and Francisca Ordega scored a goal apiece for the Super Falcons. Nkwocha you may remember scored Nigeria’s only goal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. It came on a PK against Brazil. This season, she scored three goals for Sunnanå SK in the Damallsvenskan.
The tournament resumes Thursday with Nigeria versus South Africa, Mali versus Tanzania, and on Friday, Equatorial Guinea faces Algeria, while Cameroon takes on Ghana. The final games of the group stage take place Nov. 7–8.