Ghana’s female U-20 team, the Black Princesses, has taken a giant step towards qualifying for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after thrashing Guinea Bissau 3-0 in the first leg of their preliminary round tie on Sunday.
The match, which was played at the Estadio Nacional 24 de Setembro in Bissau, saw the visitors dominate from start to finish, creating numerous chances and scoring three goals without reply.
The first goal came in the 45th minute when Success Ameyaa headed home a cross from the right wing. The second goal arrived in the 67th minute when Mary Amponsah slotted in a rebound after the Guinea Bissau goalkeeper had parried a shot from Mercy Attobra. The third and final goal was scored by Attobra herself in the 77th minute when she curled a free kick into the top corner from the edge of the box.
The Black Princesses, who Yussif Basigi coaches, have now put themselves in a strong position to advance to the next round of the qualifiers, where they will face either Senegal or Sierra Leone. The return leg will be played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday, October 14.
The 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be co-hosted by Costa Rica and Panama and will feature 16 teams from six confederations. Ghana has qualified for six out of nine editions of the tournament so far, reaching the quarter-finals three times. Their best performance was in 2012, when they finished third in Japan.
The Black Princesses are one of Africa’s most successful women’s football teams, having won four African U-20 Women’s Championship titles and one African Games gold medal. They are also known for producing some of the finest female players on the continent, such as Elizabeth Addo, Priscilla Okyere, and Sandra Owusu-Ansah.
The team hopes to make history by qualifying for their seventh consecutive World Cup and improving on their previous results. They also aim to inspire more young girls to take up football and pursue their dreams.
Source: GhanaWeb
