Uganda’s dream of qualifying for the FIFA U-20 Girls’s World Cup led to heartbreak on Saturday evening after the Queen Cranes have been held to a 1-1 draw by Ghana inside the decisive second leg of the last word qualification spherical at FUFA Stadium, Kadiba.
The tip end result observed Uganda eradicated 3-2 on combination following their slim 2-1 defeat inside the first leg in Accra.
Needing not lower than a 1-0 victory to secure a historic maiden look on the World Cup, the Queen Cranes made the appropriate start in entrance of a passionate dwelling crowd.
Sylvia Kabene gave Uganda the lead inside the seventh minute after producing a wonderful run down the left flank sooner than squeezing the ball dwelling from an honest angle to stage the mixture score at 2-2 and ignite notion contained within the stadium.
Buoyed by the early breakthrough, Uganda dominated large spells of the competitors, pressing forward with dedication in the direction of a resilient Ghanaian side as they regarded for the aim that will ship them by way of.
The hosts gained further profit inside the 69th minute when Ghana’s Margaret Agyapomaa was despatched off after stamping on Kabene whereas the Ugandan forward was already on the underside.
With Ghana decreased to 10 players and the mixture score nonetheless stage, the Queen Cranes appeared firmly in administration and appeared not off course to each strain further time or full a well known comeback.
However, the turning stage arrived with about 10 minutes remaining.
Goalkeeper Lilian Nakirya rushed out to clear a unfastened ball nevertheless miscued her effort, forcing a Uganda defender proper right into a decided drawback on a Ghanaian attacker near the sting of the sector.
Linda Owusu Ansah stepped up and curled the following free-kick previous Nakirya’s attain to silence the expectant dwelling crowd and restore Ghana’s combination profit.
Sherly Ulanda Botes’ side responded with urgency inside the closing ranges as they desperately looked for another objective.
Captain Agnes Nabukenya acquired right here closest for Uganda with a dangerous free-kick that drifted narrowly in depth, whereas Nakirya later redeemed herself with an outstanding save to deny Sarah Nyarko from prolonged fluctuate.
No matter being second best for lots of the encounter, Ghana capitalised on their key different to secure qualification and celebrated wildly on the final whistle after reserving their place on the FIFA U-20 Girls’s World Cup, which is able to seemingly be held in Poland later this yr.
For Uganda, whose qualification advertising and marketing marketing campaign was moreover ended by Ghana ultimate yr, the look ahead to a first-ever FIFA Girls’s World Cup look continues.
Nonetheless, the Queen Cranes bowed out with heads held extreme after one different spirited advertising and marketing marketing campaign that highlighted the continued progress and promise of girls’s soccer in Uganda.
