Accra, Aug. 12, GNA- The Black Princesses of Ghana tasted their first defeat in the ongoing U-20 Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) Women’s World Cup after suffering a humiliating 0-3 defeat to Group D counterparts, the United States of America (USA).
The match played at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto saw USA, the three-time champions began the three-week competition on a bright note.
Goals from Michelle Copper, Alyssa Thompson and Sentor Ally were enough to give USA maximum points.
It was a tough one for the Princesses in their open game having conceded an early two goals in the first half before the USA sealed their win in the second half of the game.
The pressure from the three-time champions began from the blast of the Referee’s whistle as they tried to keep the tempo of the game high to frustrate the Ghanaian team with their long shots and sharp attacking play.
Coach Ben Fokuo kept on pushing the Princesses to keep their attack busy in search of an opener to boost their moral in the game.
After minutes of both sides testing their strengths, USA’s Cooper finally had an easy breakthrough for her side in the 11th minute as she beat the Ghanaian defense with her height, slotting in a powerful header and leaving the Ghanaian goalkeeper in a state of confusion.
Ghana having conceded the first goal managed to cement their defense giving the USA no room of adding up to their woes as Atinga Rebecca and Abena Owusu also ensured the side of a good defensive play.
Doris Boaduwaa was a delight to watch with her skillful play as she kept the defence of their opponents on their toes, beating them with her pace but failed to convert the balls, missing out that connection with Evelyn Badu who picked up an injury ahead of the tournament.
The Princesses tried to use the wings as an easy root to beat the side but the defence of the USA looked organized, giving the Ghanaians side no space to breathe as Jacqueline Owusu’s effort to recover the ball from the American player ended up in being shown a straight red card.
Coach Fokuo quickly changed the tactics of the team in order not to concede more goals in the first half.
In the 38th minute, USA’s Alyssa Thompson finished off a pass to put her side up by two goals till the centre referee blew the whistle to end the first half on a bad note for the Princesses.
The Ghanaian side despite being down by one player still kept their heads up in the second half but their opponent were up to the task to deliver as they sealed their win with an early goal in the second half to put the game to bed in the 51st minute.
Ghana tried to get a consolation goal getting to the dying minutes of the game, but USA showed confidence and discipline from their defence to their attack, leaving no stone unturned in the game.
After ninety minutes of exciting and thrilling drama, the center referee finally brought the game to an end as the USA are now top of Group D with three points, leaving the Black Princesses of Ghana with no point.
Ghana would hope to grab a win in their next fixture against Japan on Sunday, August 14th, before wrapping up with Netherlands in the last group game.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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