By: Christopher Sededzi Kwame
The Black Queens of Ghana delivered a commanding performance, triumphing over Rwanda’s She-Amenuvi with a resounding 5-0 victory in the 2024 Women’s African Cup of Nations qualifiers held at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The convincing win secures Ghana’s passage to the next stage of the WAFCON qualifiers, as they outclassed Rwanda with a staggering 12-0 aggregate score across both legs of the competition.
The match began with She-Amenuvi making an earnest effort to control the game, but the Black Queens swiftly asserted their dominance, taking command just ten minutes into the match.
Alice Kusi was instrumental in breaking the game’s deadlock with a sublime strike in the 22nd minute, thanks to an excellent build-up play by the Black Queens. Kusi continued to shine, scoring the second goal, and then completing an impressive first-half hat-trick in the 37th minute, all with the assistance of Grace Asantewaa.
Evenly Badu added to the She-Amenuvi’s woes by netting the fourth goal before the first half concluded.
After the halftime break, Rwanda showed improvement in their performance, managing to stifle the Black Queens’ attacking prowess for a while. However, the Ghanaian team eventually regained control and opted for a more conservative approach. Rwanda mounted a spirited effort in the 75th minute to find the back of the net but struggled to penetrate the resilient defensive lines of the Black Queens.
Despite a disallowed goal, the Black Queens held onto their first-half lead, and the youngest member of the team, Stella Nyamekye, sealed the victory with a long-range shot, making it 5-0.
Ghana now secures a spot in the next stage of the qualifiers and is set to face Namibia. The winner of this encounter will earn a place in the 2024 Women’s African Cup of Nations, scheduled to be hosted in Morocco next year.
