The Black Queens have booked themselves a ticket to the quarter-finals of the ongoing Women's Africa Cup of Nations following a resounding victory over Tanzania on Monday evening.
Ghana advanced to the last eighth stage after inflicting a 4-1 defeat on the female senior national team of Tanzania in their final Group C fixture at the Stade Municipal de Berkane.
Coach Kim Bjorkegren and his charges were under pressure after failing to secure a win over South Africa and Mali in the earlier Group C games, making the encounter against Tanzania a must win. He made three changes in his team by handing starting roles to Josephine Bonsu, Princess Marfo and Princella Adubea as replacements for Doris Boaduwaa, Evelyn Badu and Anastasia Achiaa.
The Black Queens commenced the game on a good note by launching fearsome attacks on the backline of the Tanzanians by coming close to opening the scoring through Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, but her effort went wide.
Ghana had the breakthrough in the 12th minute when the Tanzanian goalkeeper's attempt to make a clearance met Princella Adubea, resulting in the opener for the Black Queens at Stade Municipal de Berkane.
Despite the Black Queens' dominance in the early minutes of the game, the East African nation showed resilience on the stroke of halftime by levelling the score before the break.
Stumai Athumani capitalized on a defensive error of the Queens to snatch the equalizer for Tanzania in the 40th minute of the game.
In the second half, Ghana exercised their attacking muscles by scoring three goals to confirm their qualification to the quarter-final stage of the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana continued their impressive display with intense pressure on the Tanzanian defence; however, they stood resolute until Princess Marfo was fouled while dazzling the defenders in the 18-yard box on the hour mark.
Experienced forward Alice Kusi restored the lead for the Black Queens when she elected herself to strike the ball firmly into the back of the net from the spot in the 63rd minute of the game.
Nyamekye and Badu instant super-sub impact
Ghana coach Kim Bjorkegren made a tactical substitution with the introduction of Stella Nyamekye and Evelyn Badu to replace Princella Adubea and Princess Marfo in the last fifteen minutes of the game, and it was the turning point for the team to register two late goals.
Nyamekye delivered a brilliant free kick from the left side of the box which dropped in front of Evelyn Badu, and she superbly made it 3-1 for the Black Queens in the 88th minute.
London City FC's Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah netted the fourth goal to seal Ghana's emphatic win after making good use of a pass from Nyamekye in the 90th minute of the game. 
Following the 4-1 win, the Black Queens finished as Group C runner-up with four points while South Africa cemented their top spot with a 4-0 win over Mali, qualifying with seven points. The Malians also qualified to the knockout stage with four points as one of the best third-place teams.
Ghana will face Algeria in the quarter-final stage of the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, July 19, 2025.
