Benfica: after her outstanding AFCON, Michaely Bihina faces difficulties

Named the best goalkeeper at AFCON 2026, Bihina is still waiting for her first appearance for Benfica this season

Africa Today at 14:53

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Benfica: after her outstanding AFCON, Michaely Bihina faces difficulties

Crowned African champion with Cameroon and named the best goalkeeper at the 2026 Women’s AFCON, Michaely Bihina is experiencing a more difficult start to the season with Benfica. The Cameroonian goalkeeper has still not played a single minute for the Portuguese club since the season resumed.

Bihina had nevertheless ended the AFCON with a series of impressive performances. A starter in the knockout matches, she made nine saves against Nigeria in the quarter-finals before stopping three penalties in the shoot-out against Morocco in the semi-finals. In the final, she kept a clean sheet in Cameroon’s 3-0 victory over Malawi. Those performances earned her the competition’s Golden Glove.

Back at Benfica, the situation is different. Bihina is in the squad, but Lena Pauels is currently preferred in goal. The Cameroonian was notably on the bench during the victory over Rio Ave (2-0) on September 18, and then during the winning trip to Juventus (2-1), four days later.

The same scenario was repeated in the Champions League against Bayern Munich. On September 30 in Lisbon, Bihina was once again among the substitutes in Benfica’s 3-0 defeat. She did not come on, while Pauels played the entire match.

LA SITUATION DE MICHAELY BIHINA INQUIÈTE : AUCUN MATCH AVEC BENFICA CETTE SAISON ! 🇨🇲

Depuis le début de la saison, Bihina figure dans le groupe de Benfica mais reste remplaçante. Elle était notamment sur le banc contre Porto, Rio Ave, la Juventus et le Bayern. pic.twitter.com/cUk4wfHdly
— 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗧 𝟮𝟯𝟳 (@Insidefoot237) October 4, 2026

After several rounds of competition, Bihina’s playing time therefore remains at zero for the first team this season. The situation contrasts with the status she had earned just a few weeks earlier with the Indomitable Lionesses.

At 22, the Cameroonian goalkeeper must now earn her place in a team where Lena Pauels continues to have the coaching staff’s confidence. After being one of the leading figures in Cameroon’s continental triumph, Bihina is still waiting for her first official appearance of the season for Benfica.