The Black Maidens of Ghana qualified to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup currently ongoing in Morocco after defeating Argentina 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regulation time on Wednesday.
The victory marks a successful return to the tournament for Ghana, who are making their seventh appearance at the competition and have progressed to the last eight for the first time since 2018.
On the matchday, Ghana started positively and took the lead when Jessica Appiah found the back of the net in the 16th minute after being set up by Obinsrewuo.
The Black Maidens went into half-time ahead but were unable to take advantage of several goalscoring opportunities to extend their lead.
Goalkeeper Belinda Aklie also played an important role, producing a number of saves to keep Ghana in front as Argentina searched for an equaliser.
Ghana’s task became more difficult in the 77th minute when Hajara Adam received a second yellow card and was sent off.
Argentina took advantage of their numerical superiority and restored parity in the 86th minute through Mercedes Diz, who scored with a header.
The goal was Diz’s seventh of the tournament and forced the match into a penalty shootout after neither side could find a winner in regulation time.
Ghana held their nerve in the shootout, securing a 5-4 victory to book their place in the quarter-finals.
The result continues the Black Maidens’ history of reaching the latter stages of the competition. Ghana previously progressed to the quarter-finals in the 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 editions.
The Maidens also won bronze at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan in 2012.
After missing the tournament for eight years, their latest achievement marks a significant return to the global stage.
Ghana will face the winner of the Round of 16 encounter between Japan and Kenya in the quarter-finals.
With a rich history at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, the Black Maidens will be aiming to advance beyond the next round. Enditem
