Uganda’s dream of qualifying for the FIFA U-20 Girls’s World Cup led to heartbreak on Saturday night after the Queen Cranes had been held to a 1-1 draw by Ghana within the decisive second leg of the ultimate qualification spherical at FUFA Stadium, Kadiba.
The outcome noticed Uganda eradicated 3-2 on mixture following their slender 2-1 defeat within the first leg in Accra.
Needing a minimum of a 1-0 victory to safe a historic maiden look on the World Cup, the Queen Cranes made the proper begin in entrance of a passionate house crowd.
Sylvia Kabene gave Uganda the lead within the seventh minute after producing an excellent run down the left flank earlier than squeezing the ball house from a decent angle to degree the mixture rating at 2-2 and ignite perception contained in the stadium.
Buoyed by the early breakthrough, Uganda dominated giant spells of the competition, urgent ahead with dedication towards a resilient Ghanaian facet as they looked for the aim that will ship them via.
The hosts gained additional benefit within the 69th minute when Ghana’s Margaret Agyapomaa was despatched off after stamping on Kabene whereas the Ugandan ahead was already on the bottom.
With Ghana diminished to 10 gamers and the mixture rating nonetheless degree, the Queen Cranes regarded firmly in management and appeared heading in the right direction to both power further time or full a well-known comeback.
Nevertheless, the turning level arrived with about 10 minutes remaining.
Goalkeeper Lilian Nakirya rushed out to clear a free ball however miscued her effort, forcing a Uganda defender right into a determined problem on a Ghanaian attacker close to the sting of the field.
Linda Owusu Ansah stepped up and curled the ensuing free-kick past Nakirya’s attain to silence the expectant house crowd and restore Ghana’s mixture benefit.
Sherly Ulanda Botes’ facet responded with urgency within the closing phases as they desperately searched for one more aim.
Captain Agnes Nabukenya got here closest for Uganda with a harmful free-kick that drifted narrowly large, whereas Nakirya later redeemed herself with a superb save to disclaim Sarah Nyarko from lengthy vary.
Regardless of being second finest for a lot of the encounter, Ghana capitalised on their key alternative to safe qualification and celebrated wildly on the ultimate whistle after reserving their place on the FIFA U-20 Girls’s World Cup, which shall be held in Poland later this yr.
For Uganda, whose qualification marketing campaign was additionally ended by Ghana final yr, the look forward to a first-ever FIFA Girls’s World Cup look continues.
However, the Queen Cranes bowed out with heads held excessive after one other spirited marketing campaign that highlighted the continued development and promise of ladies’s soccer in Uganda.
