With a well-earned 2-0 win over Cape Verde, making their tournament debut in Group D’s first match at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, Ghana’s Black Queens began their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign on the ideal footing.
First-half and second-half goals for Kim Lars Björkegren’s squad, which controlled the majority of the game, helped them win all three points.
Doris Boaduwaa scored in the sixth minute, giving the Black Queens an immediate lead. Ghana took the lead when the attacker accurately timed her run and then delicately lobbed the Cape Verde goalkeeper.
Ghana’s high press continued to destabilise the debutants, but Cape Verde responded well after giving up a goal and had a few brief periods of possession.
Princess Marfo’s effort, which was easily stopped after she grabbed possession high up the field and found Boaduwaa, nearly doubled the Black Queens’ lead halfway through the opening period.
Despite dominating the ball, Ghana found it difficult to translate their control into more goals before halftime. While Princess Marfo headed just over the bar and goalkeeper Jacinta Rodrigues made two fantastic stops to deny the Black Queens, Boaduwaa came close on multiple occasions.
Leonilde Rodrigues gave Cape Verde their best chance of the first half, but Cynthia Konlan handled it easily as Ghana went into halftime with a narrow 1-0 advantage.
Björkegren brought on Sharon Sampson at the start of the second half in an effort to increase the attacking threat, and the move swiftly yielded results.
After prolonged pressure, Ghana scored their second goal in the 53rd minute when Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah’s dangerous cross forced defender Eleia Vieira to convert the ball into her own net while under pressure.
The second goal calmed the Black Queens, who maintained control of the ball and produced many chances to increase their lead.
Following yet another save from Rodrigues, Princella Adubea pounced on a rebound, but from close range, she blasted over. Princella Adubea came very close to making it three.
Konlan produced one good stop in the final minutes to maintain Ghana’s clean sheet after a defensive blunder almost offered the Blue Sharks a chance to re-enter the game, as Cape Verde seldom posed a threat.
Even though Ghana missed many opportunities throughout the game, their solid defensive structure and overall control helped them win comfortably against the newcomers to the competition.
As the Black Queens continue their hunt for their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations crown since their 2006 near miss, the result provides them with a perfect beginning to Group D.
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