Black Queens were defeated at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton
Ghana’s Black Queens were handed a 2-0 defeat by England’s Lionesses in their first-ever women’s international meeting, played at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton on December 2, 2025.
Lucia Kendall scored her maiden England goal to set Sarina Wiegman’s side on their way, finishing from close range in the sixth minute after Ghana debutant Bénédicte Simon was unable to clear Chloe Kelly’s delivery.
The 20,252 spectators in Southampton witnessed a confident start from an England team that had beaten China 8-0 on November 29, 2025.
LIVESTREAMED: England vs Ghana (International friendly)
Despite seven changes to the Lionesses lineup, the hosts settled quickly. Kelly fired over from a Keira Walsh cross, while Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Conlan produced a strong save to deny Missy Bo Kearns.
Kelly was forced off after 23 minutes, making way for Beth Mead but England maintained their grip on the game.
As half-time approached, Conlan was again called into action, pushing away a powerful Kearns strike. From the resulting corner, Kendall rose well and headed against the crossbar.
England remained in control after the break but struggled to break down the more disciplined Ghanaian defence.
Lauren Hemp and Katie Hinds delivered dangerous balls into the box but Conlan stayed alert to gather both.
The hosts thought they had doubled their lead in stoppage time when Alessia Russo directed a header goalward during a penalty-box scramble.
The effort was blocked but a VAR review ruled that the ball struck the arm of Ghana defender Comfort Yeboah.
Russo stepped up and converted the penalty into the bottom-right corner to seal the win for the Lionness.
The match came off as part of Ghana’s preparations for all international assignments including 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Head coach Kim Lars Björkegren seized the opportunity to measure the team’s progress, expose the players to world-class opposition and correct areas that need improvement.
Meanwhile, as the BBC moves the home of its Focus on Africa Podcast to Nairobi, GhanaWeb’s Etsey Atisu connected with the host for an exclusive interview on The Lowdown. Watch it here:
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