Source: @(SAFA)
Ghana’s Black Queens secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) debutants Cape Verde in their Group D opener on Wednesday evening. Playing under the floodlights at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, the West African heavyweights asserted their dominance early, ensuring the newcomers endured a tough introduction to continental football.
The island nation of Cape Verde entered the tournament hoping to mirror the heroics of fellow debutants Malawi, who pulled off a stunning 3-2 upset against defending champions Nigeria just a day prior. With their men’s team having recently captured global attention at the World Cup, the tiny nation of just over 500,000 people was eager to make a similarly defiant statement on the women’s stage.
However, Ghana, who claimed the bronze medal at the previous edition of WAFCON, had other plans. The Black Queens launched relentless waves of attack from the opening whistle, and their intense early pressure paid dividends in the seventh minute. Portia Boakye delivered a sublime, lofted pass over the Cape Verdean defence, allowing 23-year-old Hapoel Jerusalem striker Doris Boaduwaa to latch onto the ball and deftly lob it over goalkeeper Jacinta Rodrigues.
Boaduwaa proved to be a constant menace throughout the first half, showcasing remarkable prowess both in the air and on the ground. Had it not been for the agility and bravery of Rodrigues between the sticks, the debutants could have easily found themselves trailing by a much wider margin before the halftime interval. The Cape Verdean shot-stopper single-handedly kept her nation in the contest during the opening 45 minutes.
The second half saw Cape Verde attempt to find a foothold in the midfield, but their hopes of a historic comeback were severely dented in the 54th minute. A dangerous cross into the penalty area struck unfortunate defender Eleia Vieira, ricocheting past Rodrigues for a cruel own goal that doubled Ghana’s advantage and effectively killed the game’s momentum.
Despite the setback, the islanders continued to fight for pride. Their brightest attacking moment came deep into the second half when Ivania Moreira unleashed an audacious, looping strike from the centre circle. The spectacular effort forced an alert Cynthia Konlan into a crucial, scrambling save to preserve Ghana’s clean sheet.
The challenging night for Cape Verde was ultimately compounded in stoppage time. Two minutes into added time, Kleydiana Borges received a straight red card following a VAR review for a reckless challenge on Linda Ansah, reducing the debutants to ten players for the dying moments of the match.
Ultimately, Ghana’s pedigree, attacking depth, and tactical discipline proved too much for the spirited newcomers. The Black Queens will look to build on this solid foundation as they progress through Group D, establishing themselves as firm title contenders, while Cape Verde must regroup and take the defensive positives from a resilient debut showing
