Black Queens blow away Gabon; Reach third round of Olympic qualifiers

Ghana's Black Queens defeated their Gabonese counterparts 2-0 yesterday in the second round return qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to cruise to the next stage of the competition on a 5-0 aggregate.

It was a back-to-back feat for the Queens, after defeating their opponents 3-0 at their backyard in Libreville, Gabon, last week.

A powerful low drive from Portia Boakye in the 15th minute and a screamer from Juliet Acheampong in the 70th minute sealed the fate of the Gabonese yesterday as the home side dominated the exchanges, in a poorly attended match at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Coach Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo’s side took the game to the visiting team from the blast of the whistle, with Boakye being a constant thorn in the flesh of the opponents.
The attacker got rewarded in the 15th when she danced her way into the Gabonese goal area and released a low drive into the back of the net.

The Gabonese came into the picture after the goal but lacked effective ball control and could not string passes together to make a strong impression.
The Queens nearly increased the tally in the 30th minute but Alice Kusi fluffed a chance in the opponents’ goal area.

After recess, the Ghanaians took charge of affairs and kept threatening their opponents but lacked the finesse in front of goal to increase the tally until the 70th minute when they made amends for their numerous shortcomings in attack. Grace Anima was fouled just outside the Gabonese penalty box and the resultant free kick by

Evelyn Badu was parried away but the ball landed in the path of Acheampong who unleashed a powerful volley into the back of the net.
It was game, set and match for the Ghanaians who held on to the lead for victory and qualification to the third round, where they will play against Kenya.