Ghana midfielder, Grace Asantewaa, is determined to make history at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) as she looks to inspire them to a first-ever title.
The Black Queens have reached the final on three occasions, but the coveted trophy has eluded them each time, with Nigeria breaking their hearts in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
Kim Bjorkegren’s side overcame Algeria on penalties in the quarter-finals on Saturday as Josephine Bonsu, Doris Boaduwaa, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah and Evelyn Badu all converted their spot-kicks to win 4-2 at the Berkane Stadium following a 0-0 draw after extra time.
Asantewaa was immense against the Fennecs and her performance was acknowledged with the Player-of-the-Match award. She has now set her sights on going all the way in Morocco after experiencing the disappointment of exiting the tournament on home soil in 2018.
“I am very, very, very happy. I have been preparing for this. Ghanaians have been preparing for this. We had to kill ourselves,” the 24-year-old was quoted as saying by CafOnline.
“It is time for us to win this WAFCON. And also, as an individual I want to win this WAFCON. I want my name to be in the history books in Ghana, in Africa and the world.
“We have done a very good job. We are going to the semi-finals. We are not ending here. We are taking this mentality to the semi-finals. I know for sure that we are going to win the trophy.”
Bjorkegren praised the growing influence of Asantewaa at the continental showpiece and is expecting even more from her against the Atlas Lionesses in the semi-finals on today.
“She has been stepping up in every game that we have been playing. It seems that if a game is more important, she is going to play even better,” the Swedish tactician said.
“That’s really important for us. Both her and Jennifer Cudjoe worked so hard. Normally, for a central midfielder, you cannot play 90 minutes or 120 minutes in a quarter-final, but I couldn’t take out those two because they kept going and they did it so well especially Grace.”
—africanfootball
