Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies will play Bayelsa Queens in the final of the Wafu B zonal qualifiers for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League following their semi-final victories on Wednesday.
The two clubs tooks different paths in the two last four matches to reach the final to be played at the Yamoussoukro Stadium in Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday.
While the ten-woman Ghanaians needed the shoot-out to be able to advance, the Nigerians hammered Espoir Ladies of Benin 6-0 in Wednesday’s second game to clinch their place.
Bayelsa Queens completely decimated the Benin side with a rampage in the second-half to set up a repeat of their group stage clash with the Ghanaians that ended in a draw.
Chinyere Igbomalu, who scored a brace in the match, grabbed the only goal in the first-half before the Beyalsa turned up the style after the break to make any thoughts of a comeback impossible.
Kafayat Bashiru made it 2-0 soon after the recess before Glory Edet and Etim Edidiong found the back of the net for the Nigerians to take the commanding lead.
Further goals by Igbomalu and Mary Anjor sealed the emphatic victory to line-up their final clash with the Ghanaians at the same venue.
Ampem Darkoa eliminated home side Africa Sports 6-5 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 in regulation time, leading to the shoot-out.
The semi-final lived up to the expectations of being a tight encounter as it kept the spectators in suspense until the end of the match, sparking wild Ghanaian jubilation.
However, it was the Abidjan-based club that opened the scoring under one minute through Adjoua Edwige Niamien which led to intense hope for the home fans.
The game remained balanced but came alive on the hour mark when Ampem Darkoa restored parity thanks to a strike by Gladys Amfobea.
The intensity of the game increased and the match became more aggressive leading to several strong tackles that left the Ghanaians stunned.
Ophelia Amponsah was shown a red card in the 66th minute for racking up two yellow cards in that match and Africa Sports could not make their numerical advantage count.
The two teams withstood the pressure until the end of regulation time and extra-time decided between the Ivorian and Ghanaian champions.
It took the fateful ordeal of penalties to see Ampem Darkoa qualify for the final.
Goalkeeper Safiatu Salifu managed to stop defender Linda Gauze’s shot that resulted in the victory.
Ampem Darkoa will now face the feared Nigerian side in the final scheduled for Saturday at 1800 GMT.
Source: Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF)