Ghana’s Black Queens saw their WAFCON 2024 dreams dashed in heartbreaking fashion after falling 4-2 on penalties to host nation Morocco in the semi-finals on Monday night at the Stade Olympique in Rabat.
The tightly contested match saw Ghana take an early lead in the 26th minute through midfielder Stella Nyamekye, who finished a well-worked move to give the Queens a deserved advantage. However, Morocco responded strongly in the second half, leveling the score in the 81st minute, courtesy of a close-range finish from Sakina Ouzraoui.
With the match tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, extra time yielded no additional goals, setting the stage for a dramatic penalty shootout. Ghana faltered from the spot, with Evelyn Badu and Comfort Yeboah missing their attempts, while Morocco converted all four of their kicks to secure a spot in the final.
The result ended Ghana’s hopes of reaching their first WAFCON final since 2006, despite a valiant campaign that saw them emerge as one of the tournament’s most improved sides. Speaking after the match, midfielder Jennifer Cudjoe expressed the team’s disappointment:
“Losing at this stage really hurts. We gave it our all, and to go out on penalties is just painful.”
Head coach Kim Lars Björkegren echoed the sentiment, commending his players’ efforts and expressing his frustration at the outcome.
“We were so close, We were the better team and deserved to win”. He noted.
“Our goal was to be in the final and win gold.” Kim Lars added.
The team showed great character but and unfortunately couldn’t take that final step.
The Black Queens will now turn their focus to the third-place playoff, where they will face defending champions South Africa on July 25. Meanwhile, Morocco will battle Nigeria for the championship title on July 26.
