Uganda’s hopes of reaching the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the first time ended on Saturday evening after the Queen Cranes drew 1-1 with Ghana in the second leg of the final qualification round at Kadiba Stadium.
The result saw Uganda eliminated 3-2 on aggregate after a fiercely contested tie between the two sides.
Needing to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit, the Queen Cranes made the perfect start in front of a lively home crowd when Sylvia Kabene fired Uganda ahead in the seventh minute. The early goal levelled the aggregate score at 2-2 and sparked belief among the home supporters.
Uganda continued to push forward with intensity and discipline, testing a resilient Ghanaian side as the hosts searched for the goal that would send them through to the World Cup.
The match tilted further in Uganda’s favour in the 69th minute when Ghana defender Margaret Agyapong was sent off, leaving the visitors to play the closing stages with ten players.
With momentum on Uganda’s side and the aggregate score still level, the Queen Cranes pressed for a breakthrough but Ghana responded decisively in the 78th minute through Linda Owusu, whose equaliser restored the visitors’ aggregate advantage.
Uganda pushed forward in the closing minutes but could not find another goal as Ghana held on to secure qualification.
Despite the disappointment, the Queen Cranes exit the qualifiers having produced one of Uganda’s strongest campaigns at youth level, with their run underlining the growing progress of women’s football in the country.
