Zambia has taken a crucial first-leg advantage over Ghana in their third-round 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The Copper Queens secured a 1-0 win over the Black Queens in the all-important third round first leg match played on Friday evening.
The goal was scored very early in the match but Ghana’s senior women’s national team, who had lost just one game in their 11 recent matches, could not find the equaliser.
The task has now become herculean for the Black Queens as they head to Zambia for the reverse fixture in five days – on Wednesday, February 28.
The Black Queens did not have a good start to the match as they looked jittery from the start which was eventually punished by the imperious Zambia team.
18 minutes in, the world’s most expensive female footballer, Racheal Kundananji, gave the visitors the lead.
The Bay FC player chipped the Ghana goalkeeper to give her side the lead, a lead that ultimately secured them the win.
Black Queens head coach Nora Hauptle says her girls are ready to step up to the next level when they face Zambia on Friday, February 23.
Ghana face Zambia in the third round of qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games to be staged in Paris, France, later this year.
The Queens have won 10 of their last 11 games across all competitions including two ties in the pursuit of a first-ever Olympic appearance.
The fixture against the Copper Queens will be the first real test for the Ghana senior women’s national team as they face a team in the top five places on the continent.
Speaking during her presser ahead of the game, the Swiss trainer said her side will be ready for the tough task ahead.
“Zambia, of course, is a big opponent. They have been at the World Cup. They played 21 games last year and have good individual players so I think it’s a must-win and we want to win,” she said.
“We want to face the top individual players with a top team. This is our cradle and we are working properly and excited that we can start tomorrow.
All 23 players have been involved in the team’s last two training sessions with the head coach boasting a full house for the game.
This will be the second meeting between Ghana and Zambia after the former lost 3-2 in a friendly game in 2018.
The game at the Accra Sports Stadium kicks off at 17:00 GMT with the second leg set for February 28.
Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC formally have written to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone their upcoming match against Ghanaian champions Medeama SC.
In a statement on Wednesday night, Ahly said the plane carrying the delegation from Accra to Kumasi could not to complete the journey.
Although the flight landed at the Accra airport to refuel, a gastric collision with the front of the fuselage, resulted in a malfunction.
The plane was no longer able to fly despite efforts to fix the problem.
To make matters worse, attempts to find a substitute flight for the Al Ahly contingent yielded no results.
The contingent have therefore been forced to spend the night in Accra and are expected to be on the first flight to Kumasi on Thursday morning.
Competition rules stipulate that visiting teams must have at least one training session at the match venue before matchday.
With the team set to arrive on Thursday, it is unlikely that Ahly will train on the same day amidst fears of jetlag.
Ahly have therefore written to CAF ostensibly to postpone Friday’s match to Saturday.
The defending champions are top of Group D with six points while Medeama SC are bottom of the pack with four points, with two matches to conclude the group stage.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has cleared all bonuses owed the Black Queens ahead of their crucial qualifier against Zambia.
GSN 24 LIVE gathers the Ministry has now cleared all outstanding bonuses owed to the games from their previous three qualifiers.
The Black Queens had been owed bonuses for games against Benin, Rwanda and Namibia which were all played last year.
Ahead of the game against Zambia, there were reports of unrest in the team’s camp due to the unsettled bonuses.
The development also led to public outcry demanding payment for the Queens who have been on an excellent form since Nora Hauptle took over as head coach of the team.
The Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, Ghana FA President, Kurt Okraku and Gifty Oware-Mensah visited the team on Wednesday night to have a dialogue after which their per diems were paid before the bonuses were eventually paid.
They were issued cheques for GH₵85,000 each, the equivalent of $7,500 at the Bank of Ghana rate.
Ghana faces Zambia in the first-leg encounter on Friday, February 23.
The Black Queens are two ties away from a first-ever appearance at the Olympic Games with this year’s edition set for Paris, France
PAOK left-back Baba Rahman has conveyed his appreciation to well-wishers following a harrowing collision with Panathinaikos defender Georgios Vagiannidis that led to an emergency situation.
The former Augsburg defender suffered a head injury during his team’s cup game against Panathinaikos, where he collided with Vagiannidis and lost consciousness. Fortunately, the medical team acted swiftly to resuscitate him.
In a statement shared on social media, Rahman expressed gratitude for the overwhelming concern and well wishes he received. He reassured everyone that scans have indicated no major damage from the incident.
“Hello, just wanted to thank everyone for their concern and well wishes in the last 12 or so hours. Thankfully I’m recovering well and scans have shown no major damage.
“I’d like to also say a big thank you to Georgios Vagiannidis for personally checking in on me at the hospital.
“It was a tough night but I’d be back running up and down again soon,” Rahman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Rahman, who has been a pivotal player for PAOK since joining from Reading, has displayed impressive performances in 18 league games, scoring three goals and providing two assists.
Despite his significance to the squad, he opted out of the recent Black Stars squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to focus on recovery and regain strong form.
Rahman’s positive update on his recovery provides relief to fans and the football community as a whole.
Osimhen was part of the Nigeria side who lost to Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations final in February and missed his side’s most recent league game through suspension.
The visitors had the brighter start with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal – who became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League knockout stage – making inroads on the right-hand side.
Xavi’s side pressed relentlessly in the final third, charging down Napoli’s attempts to build from the back and nullifying the hosts’ ability to threaten.
Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret was forced to save efforts from Yamal and Lewandowski before he reacted well to palm away an Ilkay Gundogan effort from distance.
The Italian side have severely struggled in their Serie A title defence, languishing in ninth place and trailing leaders Juventus by 27 points, and replaced Walter Mazzarri with Calzona – who is also Slovakia manager – on Tuesday.
There were few signs of immediate improvement, though, and they failed to even register a shot in the first half, a first for Napoli in the Champions League.
Osimhen tried to make runs behind the defence but was often left isolated as the hosts failed to muster moves in Barcelona’s half.
Xavi’s side, who have faltered in La Liga and are eight points behind leaders Real Madrid, were dominant for much of the match, but Napoli began to grow into the game in the second half and were more energetic after making substitutions.
Barcelona broke the deadlock through Lewandowski and were headed for victory, but the hosts eventually found their footing and fought their way back to a draw.
Twenty-one (21) players were present for the Black Queens’ second training session at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, February 20.
Nora Hauptle and her side continue to prepare for the first leg of their 2024 Olympic Games third-round qualifier which is set for Friday.
The 21 players who trained on Tuesday had Charlton Athletic’s Freda Ayisi available, Jacqueline Owusu of Real Sociedad was also involved with Linda Eshun also joining. The three players were missing from the first day of training.
Only goalkeeper Vivian Antwi Adjei and forward Gifty Assifuah, both of 1207 Antaly Spor, missed Tuesday’s session having arrived short before the team left for the Accra Sports Stadium.
The Black Queens are chasing a first-ever appearance at the Olympic Games and have had to beat Guinea and Benin en route to reaching the third round of the qualifying stage.
Former Ghana international Tony Baffoe has fired the Sports Ministry over their refusal to pay monies owed the Black Queens ahead of Friday’s Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier against Zambia.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tony Baffoe who visited the team’s training on Tuesday, said the Sports Ministry ought to respect the Black Queens.
Respect them and pay them !!they have gone all out all this while ! they have done a fantastic job ..players -Coach and the technical team !the match against Zambia is crucial ..respect them and pay them !!! https://t.co/cmUBsokg0T— Anthony Baffoe (@AnthonyBaffoe) February 21, 2024
The Queens are owed qualification bonuses from two rounds of qualifying in the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers and the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations Qualifiers.
They have only been paid for the two-legged affair over Guinea (Olympic Qualifier) while bonuses from wins over Benin (Olympic Qualifier), Rwanda and Namibia – both Africa Women’s Cup of Nations Qualifiers, have not been settled.
In all, the Sports Ministry owes each Black Queens player, a total of $7,500 from the six qualifying matches.
Sources inside the Black Queens camp have told JoySports that the ladies are contemplating boycotting Friday’s qualifier against Zambia.
The Black Queens have been training since Monday despite gov’t refusal to pay their bonuses
Since the team started camping on Monday, no official from the Ghana Football Association or the Sports Ministry have visited the team.
It is unclear whether officials have stayed away from the team in order to avoid a possible confrontation with the ladies over the bonus situation.
Emerse Fae has been appointed as Ivory Coast coach on a permanent deal after leading the Elephants to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title.
The 40-year-old took over on an interim basis after Jean-Louis Gasset departed during the group stage of the finals, where the West Africans had lost two games including a record 4-0 home defeat by Equatorial Guinea.
But the Ivorians progressed as the last of the four best third-placed teams and Fae oversaw an incredible turnaround for the tournament hosts in the knockout stages.
The Elephants saw off holders Senegal on penalties and then came from behind with 10 men to beat Mali in the quarter-finals after extra-time.
After defeating DR Congo in the last four, Ivory Coast recovered from a goal down to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final in Abidjan on 11 February and win their third continental title.
Meanwhile, Liberia have appointed former Malawi coach Mario Marinica as their boss on a two-year deal ahead of the start of their 2025 Nations Cup qualifying campaign.
The Lone Stars will face Djibouti in a two-legged preliminary round tie next month.
The winners of the four preliminary ties will join the 44 highest-ranked African sides in the main qualifying draw for the 2025 finals, which will be held in Morocco.
The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Technical Study Group (“TSG”) has released the Best XI for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, widely regarded as the best “AFCON” ever, concluded on Sunday in epic fashion with hosts, Cote d’Ivoire completing one of the greatest comebacks by winning against Nigeria at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
The CAF Technical Study Group has been following and analysing the tournament and its trends from day one.
Hosts Cote d’Ivoire, the new African champions, have three names in the Best Xl: Ghislan Konan, Jean Michael Seri and Franck Kessie. Kessie’s goal in the final helped the home side to secure the title.
Nigeria, who came oh-so-close, also have three names on the list: Ola Aina, William Troost-Ekong and Ademola Lookman.
South Africa, who entered the competition as underdogs but marched gallantly to a third-place finish have keeper, Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena. Williams made history when he saved four penalties in one match during the competition.
DR Congo, fourth-place, also had two names: Yoane Wissa and Chancel Mbemba.
The Best Xl:
With Williams in goals, Nigeria’s Aina and Troost-Ekong showcased their defensive prowess, earning spots in the backline alongside Cote d’Ivoire’s Konan and DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba.
In midfield, a diverse array of talent emerges, with South Africa’s Mokoena providing defensive stability alongside Cote d’Ivoire’s Jean Michael Seri and Kessie.
Upfront, the striking duo of Yoane Wissa from DR Congo and Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman bring flair and potency to the forward line, complemented by Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue, whose attacking threat kept defenders on their toes.
Nsue stands out as the competition’s top scorer with five goals, despite his team not reaching the semi-finals.
Goalkeeper:
Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
Defenders: Ola Aina (Nigeria), Ghislan Konan (Cote d’Ivoire), William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria), Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo).
Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena (South Africa), Jean Michael Seri (Cote d’Ivoire), Franck Kessie
