Ghana beat Cape Verde 2-0 as WAFCON debutants fail to replicate Malawi’s upset

Cape Verde suffered a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in Morocco on Wednesday, failing to emulate fellow Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) debutants Malawi, who stunned defending champions Nigeria 3-2 on Tuesday.

Malawi, the lowest-ranked of the 16 teams at the tournament, produced one of the biggest upsets in WAFCON history, with sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga scoring all three goals against the Super Falcons.

Cape Verde, ranked 60 places below Ghana in the FIFA rankings, had hoped to pull off a similar surprise against the Black Queens, who finished third at the last WAFCON.

The island nation also sought to capture global attention in the same way as their men’s national team did at the recent FIFA World Cup, where they pushed Argentina to extra time before exiting the tournament.

Representing an archipelago off the west coast of Africa with a population of just over 500,000, Cape Verde fell behind after only seven minutes when Doris Boaduwaa opened the scoring.

The Black Queens doubled their advantage in the 54th minute after Cape Verde defender Eleia Vieira inadvertently turned the ball into her own net when a cross deflected off her and beat goalkeeper Jacinta Rodrigues.

Rodrigues produced a series of impressive saves throughout the match, using her agility and bravery to prevent Ghana from recording a heavier victory at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.

Ghana dominated from the opening whistle and took an early lead when Boaduwaa latched onto a long pass from Portia Boakye before delicately lifting the ball over Rodrigues.

The 23-year-old Hapoel Jerusalem striker came close to completing a hat-trick before half-time, threatening Cape Verde’s defence both in the air and on the ground.

Cape Verde’s best chance came after conceding the second goal when Ivania Moreira attempted an audacious effort from the centre circle, forcing Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan into an alert save.

Cape Verde’s difficult evening worsened in stoppage time when Kleydiana Borges was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a foul on Linda Ansah.