Head Coach of the Black Princesses, Ben Fokuo, has named his squad for the first leg of the final round of matches in the FIFA U20 World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia.
Ben Fokuo’s squad is dominated by players who ply their trade in the Ghana Womens’ Premier League. The attack will be spearheaded by Hasaacas Ladies’ Doris Boaduwaa and Ophelia Serwaa Amponsah of Ampem Darkoa Ladies. Comfort Yeboah and Stella Nyamekye made it to the squad after a good performance during the Black Maidens qualifier against Senegal.
The 22-woman squad list is however, without Skipper Evelyn Badu, Perpetual Agyekum and Susan Ama Duah who signed for Norwegian side, Avaldsnes.
Ben Fokuo and his charges will look to book a ticket to Costa Rica when they face Ethiopia on Sunday, March 13, 2022 in the first leg fixture with the return fixture scheduled to be played at the Cape Coast stadium in two weeks’ time.
The women’s Under 20 team departed Accra today, Friday, March 11, 2022 at 12 noon to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The match is scheduled to kick off at the Abebe Bekila Stadium in Addis Ababa at 13:00 hrs GMT.
Here is the full 22-woman squad list for the clash;
Black Princesses’ Journey so far in the Qualifiers
The Black Princesses of Ghana started their qualifying campaign by advancing to the next phase after Mauritania withdrew in the first round which automatically took them to the second round.
In the second round, the Princesses overcame a resilient Zambian side by 1-0 at the Cape Coast Stadium, after a goalless away draw. The 1-0 victory on aggregate, sent the team to the next round of the competition, facing Uganda.
The Princesses booked a place in the last stage of the qualifiers with a 7-1 win on aggregate over Uganda. The first leg game in Kampala ended 2-1 in favor of the visitors. In the second leg encounter, the Princesses showed no mercy as they thrashed their opponents by five goals to nil at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.
The game against Ethiopia on Sunday will be a difficult game as both teams are keen on making it to the FIFA U-20 World Cup later this year. But “We can win this game and qualify to the World Cup in Costa Rica”, Head Coach, Ben Fokuo said as the team departs for Ethiopia.
With Costa Rica in sight, the Black Princesses are hoping to finish off the qualifying campaign without defeat.
Only two countries to represent Africa
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is slated for Costa Rica in August, 2022. Only two African representatives are expected to take part in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica. The teams that progressed to the fifth and final round of the qualifiers are Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.
Nigeria is looking to maintain its unblemished qualification record at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica this year after appearances in all previous nine editions.
On Saturday, March 12, the Falconets of Nigeria will face Senegal in the first leg at the Stade Lat-Dior in Thies at exactly 16:30 GMT. The second leg is scheduled for March 26 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City at 15:00 GMT, with the winner booking a ticket to Costa Rica.
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