Ghana's Black Queens have beaten Cabo Verde 2-0 in their opening Group D match at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Morocco.
A goal in each half—the first from Doris Boaduwaa in the seventh minute and the second an own goal—gave the Queens a winning start in their latest campaign for honours at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.
Right from the blow of the whistle, the Queens made clear their intention and had the first goal as early as the seventh minute when Boaduwaa latched on to an aerial cross from captain Portia Boakye to lob the ball behind Jacinta Rodrigues in goal for Cabo Verde.
Playing their first WAFCON, Cape Verde did their best to remain in the game and had the better of the exchanges in the midfield tussle to end the first half.
The game resumed for the second half with a bit more urgency from the Queens, and an effort from Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah eventually resulted in the second goal. Eleia Vieira, in her bid to clear the ball, rather saw the ball, which had hit her body, go into the net.
The Blue Sharks recovered from that blunder and thwarted the efforts by the Ghanaians to get more goals.
Coach Kim Lars Björkegren also tried to get more goals and made a number of changes at different times, withdrawing Princess Marfo, Jennifer Cudjoe, Alice Kusi, Susan Ama Duah and Boye-Hlorkah for Sharon Sampson, Linda Owusu-Ansah, Princella Adubea, Abena Anoma Opoku and Evelyn Badu respectively, all in a bid to push for more goals, but the Sharks kept them at bay till the end.
Though it was not an ill-tempered match, Moroccan referee Zoulaikha Harmasse kept everyone in check, issuing as many as four yellow cards and even a red card in the dying minutes of the game. Cudjoe received the first yellow, the reason she was substituted, while three players of Cabo Verde went into the referee's caution book. Diana Borges was marched off deep in injury time for a professional foul which was called out by VAR.
That did not give the Queens any advantage, as moments later the whistle went for the end of the game.
It was not the vintage performance that their teeming fans had been expectant of, but Coach Kim Lars Björkegren and his ladies did what was most needed—claiming all three points and easing the pressure ahead of their remaining group encounters.
They play Cameroon on Sunday and Mali in the final group game on August 6.
