The Black Queens will miss the 2022 African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) in Morocco and the 2023 Women’s World Cup – jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand – after losing narrowly to Nigeria’s Super Falcon at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Although the Queens triumphed 1-0 at home, their victory was insufficient to qualify them for the tournaments.
Nigeria, who produced a superb performance to withstand their opponent’s relentless pressure, defeated the Black Queens in the first leg of the qualifying round at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos with a two-goal advantage.
Ghanaians consequently expected the Black Queens to win by at least three goals to stand a chance of qualifying but the impenetrable defence of the Nigerians wouldn’t allow that.
The first half witnessed a goalless draw after the two sides failed to find the back of the net after several attempts especially from the home side.
Priscilla Adubea however broke the deadlock in the second half with 35 minutes to go. The Black Queens kept pushing for the second only to see a red card given to captain Portia Boakye in the 65th for a tackle on Nigeria’s Barcelona attacker Asisat Oshoala. The Queens’s spirit were uplifted once again when Nigeria’s Glory Ogbonna was sent off in the 75th minute for a reckless challenge on Naomi Animah.
All throughout the remaining minutes, Nigeria’s defence were on top of their game to resist all threats from Ghana until the last whistle.
Nigeria, defending champions of the recent AWCON, have booked a ticket to the second and final round of the qualifiers as they seek to secure a spot in Morocco.
