Ghana Beat Argentina on Penalties to Reach FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Quarter-Finals

Ghana's Black Maidens advanced to the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over ArgentinaJessica Appiah scored the opening goal and converted the decisive spot kick as the Maidens held their nerve despite finishing with 10 playersCoach Nana Adarkwa's exciting side would face one of Japan or Kenya in the last eight of the competitionPAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!

The Black Maidens of Ghana have progressed to the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after defeating Argentina in a penalty shootout on Wednesday, October 28.

The Maidens came close to extending their lead when Obinsrewuo lobbed goalkeeper Bianca Virga after latching onto a long ball, but the effort was disallowed for offside.

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Watch Appiah's goal, as shared on X:

The contest shifted dramatically when midfielder Hajara Adam collected a second yellow card with 13 minutes left on the clock, leaving Ghana to defend their lead with a numerical disadvantage.

Argentina made the pressure count when Mercedes Diz produced a superb header from a looping free-kick, directing the ball over goalkeeper Belinda Marku Aklie to bring the scores level. Diz had earlier gone close when her effort struck the crossbar.

With neither side able to find a decisive blow in the remaining minutes, the match proceeded to a penalty shootout to determine who would advance.

According to Ghanafa.org, the team held their composure throughout the shootout, with Appiah, Juliana Gyekyewaa, Rafia Osman, Christiana Ashiaku and Saraphina Essenam all converting their attempts.

Argentina's Oriana Gomez missed her penalty, handing Ghana the decisive advantage and completing a hard-fought victory.

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The result is a notable achievement for the young Ghanaian squad, who demonstrated considerable resilience in seeing out the win after conceding a late equaliser and completing the final stages of normal time a player short.

Coach Joe Nana Adarkwa's side now advance to the last eight of the tournament and will turn their focus to the quarter-finals, where they will face off against either Japan or Kenya.

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Ghana’s Black Maidens defeated Nigeria to win the maiden edition of the WAFU U-17 Girls’ Cup in Accra.

The tournament was successfully hosted at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence.

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Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe (Sports Editor) Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a CAF-accredited journalist with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Integrated Rural Arts and Industry (2016). Godwin’s career includes covering the 2023 AFCON and grassroots competitions within Ghana. He has also served as a Presenter at VNTV, a Sports Analyst at Obonu FM, and a Football Writer for a myriad of sports websites. He joined Yen.com.gh in 2024 to cover sports. Email: godwin.tagoe@yen.com.gh.