Black Queens’ hope of securing a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics has been dashed despite their efforts in a hard-fought match against Zambia on Wednesday, February 28th, in Ndola.
Despite the Ghanaian squad’s best efforts to secure a win, they faced a formidable opponent in Barbra Banda, who scored two crucial goals for the home team to clinch a 3-3 draw.
Zambia’s aggregate score of 4-3 confirmed their qualification.
Ghana’s Black Queens were determined to overturn their 1-0 loss in the previous match at the Accra Sports Stadium. Although Gifty Assifuah, a new addition to the starting lineup in place of Freda Ayisi, equalized the score for the Black Queens, Banda’s opening goal set the tone for the game.
The halftime break saw both teams locked at 2-1, with the home team leading on aggregate.
The second half saw Ghana’s Doris Boaduwaa impressively taking the lead with a goal in the 55th minute. However, Zambia quickly retaliated with Kabange Mupopo scoring six minutes later to even the score.
Azumah Bugri, a substitute, managed to secure a late goal, which seemed to point towards extra time. Unfortunately, a late foul by Jennifer Cudjoe led to her being sent off with a second yellow card, paving the way for Banda to score her second goal from the resulting free kick.
Despite the Black Queens’ valiant efforts, Zambia’s Copper Queens emerged victorious with a 4-3 aggregate win, effectively ending Ghana’s hopes of Olympic qualification.
Now, Nora Hauptle and her team must focus on preparations for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Morocco.
