Mali Women 4-1 Gabon Women – CAF Women's African Cup of Nations Qualifier, 26 February 2025

Mali Women powered to a dominant 4-1 victory over Gabon Women in their CAF Women's African Cup of Nations qualifying tie on 26 February 2025. The emphatic home performance puts Mali in full control of the two-legged contest and showcases the attacking depth they will hope to take into the continental finals.

From the opening whistle, Mali dictated the tempo. Their pressing game forced Gabon into mistakes, and it did not take long for the hosts to find the back of the net. With sharp passing and movement in the final third, Mali created chances at regular intervals and built a healthy lead before the break. Gabon, to their credit, remained organized and managed to pull a goal back in the second half, briefly giving the visitors something to celebrate.

Mali's attacking quality proves decisive

The response from Mali was immediate and clinical. They restored their three-goal cushion with a well-taken finish and continued to threaten until the final whistle. The 4-1 margin reflected Mali's superiority in almost every department, particularly in transition and set-piece delivery.

• Result: Mali Women 4, Gabon Women 1
• Competition: CAF Women's African Cup of Nations qualifiers
• Key theme: Mali's high pressing and ruthless finishing

For Mali, this result strengthens their reputation as one of the rising forces in African women's football. Gabon face a difficult challenge in the second leg, needing to overturn a three-goal deficit against a side that looked comfortable at home. Mali's supporters will rightly feel optimistic about their chances of progressing to the Women's Africa Cup of Nations finals.