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15.11.2008 Sports News

Queens clash with Falcons tomorrow

By The Spectator
Queens clash with Falcons tomorrow
15.11.2008 LISTEN

The greatest rivalry in African women's football will be rekindled tomorrow at the Bata sports Stadium Equatorial Guinea when the senior national women's team the Black Queens opens their sixth African Women's Championship (AWC) campaign against defending champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria.

Ghana has played second-fiddle to Nigeria since the start of the competition in 1998 and according to captain of the team Grace Adwoa Bayor this year's championship will see the end of the Falcon's dominance over her side.

'We have made it to the finals on three occasions and on all occasions we have fallen to them, but I believe our time to be crowned queen's of African football has come".

Playing in Group 'B' alongside South Africa and Tunisia, the Queen's will be looking for revenge against a Falcons side who they fell to in the finals, two years ago in Warri, Nigeria.

A Perpetual Nkwocha strike 13 minutes into the 2006 finals killed the dream of an Adwoa Bayor led Black Queens who on two previous finals -1998 and 2002 lost out on a chance to claim the diadem by 0-2 margins.

The Queen's only victory over the Falcons in the history of the AWC came during the 2002 edition when a first half goal from then captain Alberta Sackey gave Ghana a surprise 1-0 win over Nigeria in Warri.

Although the Ghanaian team has not had the best of preparations ahead of the championship, the team is brimming with confidence and has promised to revenge their 0-1 loss to the Falcons two years ago in Nigeria and even go a step further.

The18-member squad which flew out of the country last Tuesday will be missing the services of influential striker and kin-pin Anita Amankwah who could not make the team through injury.

In her absence the onus will now rest on the shoulders of inspirational captain Bayor, who is one of the two, Ghanaians who have participated in all six editions of the championship.

Despite their failure to go on a scheduled campaign tour in Germany, the team is confident of doing its best at the championship and this has been further triumphed by Coach of the side Mumuni Gamel who has brought on board some young limbs like Safia Abdul Rahman, Faisah Ibrahim and Portia Boakye from under-20 side, the Black Princesses to boost the chances of his team.

Tomorrow's match is scheduled to kick-off at 13 hours GMT.

The Queen's will next play the Bayana Bayana of South Africa on Wednesday and complete the group stage against their Tunisian counterpart next Saturday.

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