Ghana’s Black Princesses suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against tournament debutants Austria in their opening match of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Bogota, Colombia on Monday night.
Despite a valiant effort and a late wonder goal from Stella Nyamekye, the African side couldn’t overcome a resilient Austrian team buoyed by their goalkeeper Mariella El Sherif’s heroics.
Austria drew first blood in the 12th minute when Hannah Fankhauser capitalized on a clever dummy by Valentina Maedl to slot home Laura Spinn’s low cross.
Ghana responded with increasing pressure, but found El Sherif in inspired form, denying Nyamekye with a spectacular save before halftime.
The Black Princesses continued to dominate after the break, with Jennifer Owusuaa and Tracey Twum both squandering gilt-edged opportunities.
Nyamekye then saw a potential goal-of-the-tournament contender rattle the crossbar as Ghana’s frustrations mounted.
Against the run of play, Austria doubled their lead in the 71st minute.
Asana Alhassan’s handball in the box allowed Nicole Ojukwu to calmly convert from the penalty spot, leaving Ghana with a mountain to climb.
The African side’s persistence finally paid off in stoppage time when Nyamekye unleashed a thunderbolt that crashed in off the post, but it proved to be merely a consolation.
This result puts Ghana on the back foot in Group E, with upcoming matches against Asian powerhouse Japan and CONCACAF champions Canada now crucial to their knockout stage hopes.
