Joseph ODOEKWU
Nigeria national women’s U-20 football team, Falconets, lost 2-1 to hosts, the Black Princesses of Ghana in the final of the football event of the African Games going on in Ghana.
The match which was played at the Cape Coast stadium before a massive crowd is reminiscent of a similar situation in the just concluded AFCON where the Super Eagles of Nigeria lost 2-1 to hosts, Ivory Coast in the final of the AFCON after taking a first half lead before the hosts came back to win.
Njideka Edeh’s first half goal in the the 23′ minute gave the defending champions a lead which they kept till after the first half, but an impressive shot in the roof of the post by Ghana’s Tracy Twum made the host level up before taking the game into extra time.
The Black Princesses got a clinical goal from Issah’s brilliant strike from outside the box in extra time to take a final lead which eventually gave them the ultimate reward for the game until the referees final whistle was blasted.
It is the first time the Black Princesses of Ghana will win the gold medal in the women’s football event of the Africa Games.
The joy which the Ghanaian women had by accomplishing the task of dethroning the Falconets as defending champions and also restoring Ghana’s hope of reviving football ignited passion among fans who had long been waiting for a moment like this to come.