BY NADIA NTIAMOAH
Ghana’s Black Princesses have revived their hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after producing a spirited second-half comeback to defeat South Korea 3-1 in their second Group C encounter.
The victory was a crucial response to Ghana’s disappointing 3-0 defeat to Ecuador in their opening match and keeps Charles Sampson’s side firmly in contention for qualification. After being left with little room for error following the opening-game setback, the Black Princesses delivered when it mattered most, scoring three times after the break to secure all three points.
Sampson made changes to his starting lineup for the crucial encounter, bringing Latifa Musa, Salima Rahim Naazo and Precious Akangwe into the team.
However, the Black Princesses suffered an early setback when Esther Owusu was forced off in the 26th minute after picking up an injury, with Latifa Abesit introduced as her replacement.
Ghana created several opportunities during an open first half but failed to find the breakthrough, allowing South Korea to reach the interval with the score still goalless. The pressure eventually paid off seven minutes after the restart when Captain Sarah Nyarko opened the scoring in the 52nd minute.
The goal followed a well-constructed move through the middle of the pitch, with the Dreams FC forward completing the attack to give Ghana the lead and inject fresh confidence into the team.
The Black Princesses quickly doubled their advantage when Ivy Osei Owusu found the back of the net. Her effort took a deflection off a South Korean defender before finding the far post, leaving Ghana firmly in control at 2-0.
Ruth Amponsah then put the result beyond doubt in the 84th minute with a composed finish, extending advantage to three goals and putting the Black Princesses on the verge of a much-needed victory. South Korea managed to pull one goal back late in the match, but Ghana held on to claim a 3-1 win.
The result is particularly significant for Ghana because the Black Princesses are still chasing a piece of history at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Despite qualifying for the tournament on eight consecutive occasions, Ghana have never progressed beyond the group stage, making this year’s campaign another opportunity to end that long-standing disappointment.
Black Princesses head coach Charles Sampson heaped praises on the players.
After the victory, Sampson said: “Today, the team actually really showed up. They showed up with the character that we know they have in the team. They believe they have for themselves and each other. And today, they exhibited it exactly how it should be, with a lot of enthusiasm and passion. And they made up their mind that we’re gonna take this day, and that’s what happened,” the Black Princesses coach told GFA Media.
Following the win against South Korea, Ghana now sit second in the Group C standings of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
The Black Princesses will now prepare for a final group match against France.
