Ghana’s Black Queens suffered a 4-2 penalty shootout defeat to Morocco in the semifinal of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, after a 1-1 draw following extra time on Tuesday night in Rabat.
The Black Queens started brightly and deservedly took the lead in the 26th minute, with Stella Nyamekye tapping home from close range after sustained pressure.
Ghana dominated the rest of the first half, creating several chances through Doris Boaduwaa, Princess Marfo, and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah. However, they failed to capitalize, and the first half ended 1-0 in their favor.
After the break, Ghana had a big opportunity to double the lead following a mistake from Moroccan goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi, but Nyamekye couldn’t capitalize.
Morocco, backed by a lively home crowd, found their way back into the game in the 55th minute through Sakina Ouzraoui Diki, who pounced after a defensive lapse by Ghana.
Both sides went for the win as the clock ticked down, with chances at both ends, but neither team could find the breakthrough, and the match went into penalties.
In the shootout, Morocco held their nerv, converting all four of their kicks through Hanane Aït El Haj, Ibtissam Jraïdi, Kenza Chapelle, and Anissa Lahmari. For Ghana, Jennifer Bonsu and Alice Kusi converted theirs, but Evelyn Badu shot wide and Comfort Yeboah had her effort saved by Er-Rmichi.
The result sends Morocco into their second consecutive WAFCON final, where they’ll face Nigeria on Sunday. Ghana will now face South Africa on Friday in the third-place playoff.
