The senior nationwide girls’s workforce, the Black Queens, quest for final glory on the Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) begins at the moment with a tricky Group C conflict with defending champions, South Africa, on the 35,000-capacity Honour Stadium in Oujda, Morocco at the moment.
Tagged as pioneers of women’s soccer on the continent, the Black Queens, whose fortunes have dwindled in current occasions, will likely be returning to the continental showpiece for the primary time since internet hosting in 2018 with the hope of no less than incomes a podium end to both equal their 1998, 2002, and 2006 runner-up or the 2016 third-place feat.
Though that appears like a really tough job with the likes of match report winners the Tremendous Falcons of Nigeria, Bayana Bayana of South Africa, the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco, and the Copper Queens of Zambia within the fray, head coach Kim Lars Björkegren believes they will surprise everybody.
In a aggressive group that additionally has Mali and Tanzania, the Black Queens will goal to advance to the knockout stage first to reignite hope in addition to re-establish themselves among the many continent’s elite.
At this time’s sport will likely be a check of that resolve, particularly approaching the again of three wins in 8 pally video games within the run-up to the match, whereas their Bayana Bayana opponent has a 100 per cent win report in seven video games.
The Queens last pleasant sport in opposition to the Tremendous Falcons final week, the place they misplaced 3-1, considerably introduced some actuality checks to Ghanaians, who at the moment are managing their expectations of the coach Björkegren-led facet going into the match.
Out of 4 conferences since 2012, either side have recorded one win, with two ending in attracts.
Video games between the 2 sides have seen the Black Queens acquire the higher hand; the Black Queens had been 1-0 victors to say third spot on the 2016 tournament and recorded the identical scores on the Accra Sports activities Stadium within the run-up to the 2018 finals on residence soil.
The groups’ most up-to-date assembly was on the Aisha Buhari Cup in Nigeria in September 2021, with Banyana Banyana working away 3-0 winners.
Since then, the Queens have gone from favourites to playing second fiddle to educate Desiree Ellis’s facet, and at the moment’s sport is not any exception.
Skipper Portia Boakye, who has performed a handful of video games in opposition to the facet and scored the one aim in opposition to the facet on the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto in a 2014 pleasant, believes the younger squad she is main has one thing to showcase to Ghanaians and Africa on the match.
As one of many 4 gamers to have performed on the WAFCON beforehand, together with Grace Asantewaa, Alice Kusi, and Sherifatu Sumaila, Boakye states that they’ve a mix that may go far within the match starting with at the moment’s sport.
Bayana Bayana is closely tipped to start their title defence on a successful notice; nonetheless, many South Africans, together with aimkeeper Kaylin Swart, consider the Black Queens have transitioned properly and will likely be a problem in today’s sport, if not the match.
The Black Queens will even face Mali on Friday, July 11, earlier than concluding the group stage with Tanzania three days later.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
