Queens Sure To Win In Abidjan

Ghana's Black Queens are hoping to deny their Ivorian counterparts a ticket to the African Women's Championship to be staged in Equatorial Guinea.The two sides meet in the first of their two-leg qualifying encounter in Abidjan tomorrow and the Queens are hoping to be the ones with the ticket to the party at the end of it all.
This will be the first time the two sides are meeting at such a competitive level, even though they have played two friendly matches already.
In those matches — a special tournament held in Abidjan — the Queens won and are hoping to maintain that performance when they meet at the National Stadium in Abidjan tomorrow.
Even though Cote d'Ivoire had a strong base for women's football in the initial stages, they have struggled to get a place in the women's game but are now determined to fight for a place.
Since the AWC was introduced some 10 years ago, the Ivorians have stayed away, and on the last two occasions, failed to qualify.
 
However, they maintain they has re-organised and built a team that has what it takes to deny the Queens a place to the sixth, after they have attended all of the five previous competitions.
Despite being streets ahead of the Ivorians, the Queens are not taking the Ivorian threat lightly and so intend to put their best foot forward in Abidjan.
Before leaving for Abidjan yesterday, the Head Coach told the Daily Graphic that one important lesson learnt from women's football was to not underrate any side and that was going to be their guiding principle in Abidjan.
“ We want to retain our place in African women's football, and that we can do by being at Equatorial Guinea. We cannot afford to miss out, so we are going to fight for the ticket,” Coach Paha told the Daily Graphic.
With all his 18 players in good shape and eager to return to action, the Queens are capable of returning home with the three points, but that depends on the game plan and strategy they adopt against the Ivorians.
Story by Rosalind Amoh