Ghana’s Black Queens narrowly missed out on a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after being eliminated by Zambia in the third round of qualifiers.
The second leg match ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw, with Zambia securing a 4-3 aggregate victory thanks to their 1-0 win in the first leg in Accra.
Despite a spirited performance from the Black Queens, Zambia’s Cooper Queens emerged victorious, dashing Ghana’s hopes of progressing to the next stage.
Zambia scored on the stroke of full-time from a free-kick to advance to the next stage, where they will face either Morocco or Tunisia.
Zambia started the scoring in the exciting contest at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, with Barbra Banda scoring after just 11 minutes.
Her goal was cancelled out 10 minutes later by Gifty Assifuah, and the Black Queens went ahead to get the second goal through Doris Boaduwaa, tying the aggregate score.
Kabange Mupopo forced an equalizer in the 61st minute, but Azumah Bugri scored four minutes later to restore the lead and give Ghana another hope of qualification.
The Black Queens drew 3-3 with Zambia away from home but are out as they lost 4-3 on aggregate.#3Sports pic.twitter.com/SE212uShbB
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) February 28, 2024
However, that hope was dashed when Jennifer Cudjoe was sent off for a second yellow card, and the resulting free-kick ended up in the back of the net.
While the result is disappointing for Ghana, the team can take pride in their improved performance compared to the first leg.
They will now shift their focus to the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which takes place later this year.
Zambia, on the other hand, advanced to the final qualifying round with high hopes of securing a spot in Paris. Their impressive performance against Ghana suggests they may be a force to be reckoned with in the competition.