Stories and facts

The Black Queens of Ghana suffered a painful elimination from the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers after a 3-3 draw secured a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Zambia.

In an end-to-end action, Zambia took the lead in the 11th minute through captain Barbra Banda, four minutes later Gifty Assifuah restored parity. After the first half, Doris Boaduwaa then put Ghana in the lead early in the second half which was cut short again after Zambia's Kabange Mupopo equalized six minutes later. Substitute, Azumah Bugri put the Black Queens ahead until the unfortunate happened in the dying seconds of the game.

Despite Ghana's efforts to force extra time, a crucial free-kick was conceded near the end of the game, resulting in a red card for Jennifer Cudjoe. With few seconds remaining, the Black Queens were dealt a devastating blow after Zambia's Barbra Banda placed a free-kick that found the back of the net in the dying seconds of stoppage time. The late equalizer was enough to secure Zambia's place in the Olympic Games with a 4-3 aggregate victory.