The Black Queens of Ghana unfortunately, did not advance in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualifiers, falling short with a 4-3 aggregate loss to Zambia at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola today.
The opening goal came swiftly for the Copper Queens just 10 minutes into the game, as Babara Bandas’s superb strike went past Black Queens goalkeeper Victoria Antwi Adjei.
Few Minutes later, the Black Queens of Ghana pulled parity through Gifty Assifuah whose 22nd-minute goal kept hopes alive for the Ghanaian Women’s National Team going into the first half.
In the second half, the game took an exciting turn as Doris Boaduwaa of Ghana scored an impressive goal, doubling the lead for the Black Queens.
However, just six minutes later, a defensive mishap led to Gifty Assifuah accidentally scoring an own goal, equalizing the score at 2-2 after 61 minutes.
The Black Queens again put up a spirited performance as Azumah Bugiri made it three for Ghana after a well-worked goal in the 64th minute.
However, Ghana faced a setback when Jennifer Cudjoe received her second yellow card in the 95th minute, reducing their team to 10 women.
In a thrilling climax, Barbara Banda seized the moment with a magnificent free-kick as she scored her second goal of the evening to make it 3-3 after full-time and 4-3 on aggregate in favour of the Copper Queens.
Zambia will now face Morocco in the final qualification game as Nigeria takes on South Africa to determine which two countries represent Africa in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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Story by: David Kwaku Dzaku| univers.ug.edu.gh
