Ghana’s Black Princesses began their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign with a painful 2-1 defeat against Austria in their Group E opener on Monday evening.
The game began with a midfield battle, but Austria’s long balls into Ghana’s box soon gained them control.
Austria’s persistence paid off in the 12th minute when forward Hannah Fankhauser capitalized on a swift move and cross to open the scoring.
Ghana struggled to create opportunities in the second half, while Austria remained dominant.
Austria was awarded a penalty in the 71st minute, which midfielder Nicole Ojukwu confidently converted to double their lead. Despite a late surge from Ghana, including a stoppage-time goal from skipper Stella Nyamekye, Austria held firm to secure a 2-1 victory.
The Black Princesses will aim to rectify their opening loss when they face Japan on September 5th in their next group stage match. After the game against Japan Ghana will take on New Zealand on 8th September.