Ghana clinched the bronze medal at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, triumphing over South Africa 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time at Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Friday evening.
This match was a rematch of their group stage encounter, where South Africa had previously beaten Ghana 2-0. This time, however, the Black Queens managed to turn the tables in dramatic fashion.
South Africa took an early lead just before halftime when Nonhlanhla Mthandi scored in the 45th minute. Ghana equalized in the 68th minute due to an unfortunate own goal by South African goalkeeper Andile Dlamini.
With the score tied at 1-1 after full time, the game proceeded directly to penalties. The Black Queens converted four of their five attempts through A. Kusi, J. Bonsu, J. Cudjoe, and N. Amoh, while C. Boye-Hlorkah missed her shot.
South Africa successfully converted three penalties from L. Motlhalo, B. Mbane, and J. Seoposenwe; however, S. Holweni and H. Magaia were unable to convert their attempts.
This victory mirrored Ghana’s bronze medal win over South Africa during the 2016 WAFCON in Yaoundé, where they also defeated Banyana Banyana 1-0 in the third-place match.
For Ghana’s coach Kim Björkegren, who took charge in February, this achievement marks significant progress for a team that did not qualify for the previous tournament. The Swedish tactician had noted prior to the match that his team had shown considerable improvement since their earlier group stage loss to South Africa.
Despite being defending champions, South Africa could not secure back-to-back podium finishes despite having dominated their earlier group stage meeting.
Coach Desiree Ellis emphasized the importance of finishing with a medal to honor injured teammate Gabriela Salgado, who suffered a serious leg injury in their semifinal loss to Nigeria.
This result tips the historical rivalry between these two teams in favor of Ghana, who now hold five victories to South Africa’s four across their eleven encounters, with two matches ending in draws.
Before this bronze medal clash, both teams had each won four matches against one another in what has been an evenly matched rivalry.
The WAFCON 2024 will conclude tomorrow with hosts Morocco facing Nigeria in the final after the Atlas Lionesses defeated Ghana and Nigeria overcame South Africa in their respective semifinals.
