Black Princesses Fall Short in 2-1 Defeat to Austria in U-20 Women’s World Cup Opener

The Black Princesses of Ghana suffered a 2-1 defeat against Austria in their opening match of the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, held in Colombia. The game, played last night at the El-Techo Stadium in Bogota, marked a disappointing start for Yussif Basigi’s team despite a late comeback attempt.

Entering the match as favorites, Ghana fielded a strong lineup against Markus Hackl’s Austrian side, who were making their tournament debut. However, it was Austria who struck first, capitalizing on a defensive error that allowed Hannah Frankhauser to score an easy tap-in during the 12th minute.

Ghana’s challenges worsened in the 70th minute when Asana Alhassan handled the ball in the penalty box. Austria’s Nicole Ojukwu converted the resulting penalty, doubling their lead and putting the Black Princesses under immense pressure.

Despite dominating possession, the Black Princesses struggled to break through Austria’s defense. It wasn’t until the 93rd minute that Ghana managed to find the back of the net, with Stella Nyamekye firing a shot past the Austrian goalkeeper to reduce the deficit. However, it was too little, too late as the final whistle confirmed Austria’s victory.

The Black Princesses will now face a tough challenge in their next match, as they go up against the 2018 champions, Japan, on Thursday at 10 pm.