At the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, the Black Princesses of Ghana defeated the Falconets of Nigeria 3-1 on penalties to win the inaugural Under-20 West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Zone B Girls Cup.
Stella Nyamekye, the team’s captain, missed a penalty kick in the 39th minute, and the visitors were able to tie the score in the 85th through Flourish Sebastine.
Keeping their lines unbroken against a dangerous Nigerian team that had scored 19 goals in four games prior to the match was difficult for Coach Basigi’s team.
The foreigners put Ghana through a rigorous drill, sending long crosses in the direction of top scorer Esther Ajakaye, who was eager to score early to increase her goal total.
The Ghanaians kept their mentality high, giving the Nigerians no breathing space to dance through their defense.
As a result of a clumsy tackle by Flourish, Ghana took the lead in the 39th minute when Stella Nyamekye expertly confused Nigeria’s Anderline Mberchi to score the game’s first goal and end the first half 1-0.
The Ladies in Green entered the second half as battered lions looking to redeem themselves with an offensive strategy to defeat the hosts.
Stella and Maafia Nyame made an outstanding team that proved to be household names on the continent. With their deft play, they kept the Falconets’ defence on its toes.
Abena Opoku of Ghana was tasked with making Esther Ajakaye’s experience in the match unpleasant, and she succeeded in her mission, prompting the replacement of the effective striker.
Afi Amanyeku saved the princesses in the 72nd minute, just as the supporters were about to give up, to ensure that she played a crucial part in the host and win the mission.
To weaken Ghana’s defence and give Flourish Sebastine a chance to score an equaliser in the 85th minute, Nigeria’s Taiwo Afolabi and Amina Bello combined.
The Ghanaians packed up behind their opponent’s 18-yard box during the final few minutes of the game in an attempt to score a winner.
The game ended in a draw after 90 minutes of thrilling play, with Ghana defeating their Persian rivals 3-1 on penalties to complete the task.
With four goals to her name, Stella Nyamekye was named the tournament’s player of the year.
After a thrilling campaign, Afi Amanyeku of the Northern Ladies received the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award.
Esther Ajakaye, who scored six goals during the competition, also took home the top-scorer honour.
