Chijioke Gabriel
Ghana’s Black Queens have secured third place at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory over South Africa at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca. The tightly contested third-place playoff ended 1-1 in regulation time before heading into penalties.
The match was a rematch of their earlier group-stage clash, where South Africa had defeated Ghana 2-0. This time, however, it was the Ghanaians who had the final say.
South Africa took the lead just before halftime through a 45th-minute strike by Nonhlanhla Mthandi. Ghana equalized midway through the second half when Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini inadvertently scored an own goal in the 68th minute.
The game proceeded directly to penalties without extra time. Ghana converted four of their five spot-kicks through A. Kusi, J. Bonsu, J. Cudjoe, and N. Amoh. C. Boye-Hlorkah missed her attempt. For South Africa, L. Motlhalo, B. Mbane, and J. Seoposenwe were successful from the spot, while S. Holweni and H. Magaia failed to convert.
Ghana’s win echoes their previous bronze medal success over South Africa in the 2016 WAFCON held in Yaoundé, where they triumphed 1-0.
The result marks significant progress under new head coach Kim Björkegren, who took over in February. The Swedish tactician praised his team’s resilience and growth since their earlier defeat to South Africa in the group stage.
For South Africa and coach Desiree Ellis, it was a disappointing end to a tournament that began with high hopes of defending their 2022 title. Ellis had emphasized the importance of securing a medal to honour injured star Gabriela Salgado, who suffered a serious leg injury during their semifinal loss to Nigeria.
Historically, the win tilts the head-to-head balance between these continental rivals in Ghana’s favour, with five wins to South Africa’s four in their 11 meetings, alongside two draws.
WAFCON 2025 concludes on Saturday with the highly anticipated final between hosts Morocco and Nigeria. Both teams advanced to the final after Morocco edged Ghana in a tense semifinal shootout and Nigeria defeated South Africa.