WAFCON: Ghana edge past Algeria on penalties after drab affair

Blistering heat in Berkane contributed to an uninspiring goalless draw

Credit: Confederation of African Football

Algeria faced Ghana in the third Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarter-final on a pretty hot evening in Berkane. The temperature at kick-off was the wrong side of 30°C, and the sun was still beating down on the vast majority of the pitch at the largely unshaded Municipal Stadium.

The weather was likely the main culprit for a largely uneventful affair. Ghana displayed some attacking threat at times, but left a good deal to be desired with their execution in the final third. The Black Queens were celebrating before the half-hour mark when Stella Nyamekye emphatically finished off a second chance after a bungled fast transition, but a long VAR check found a minor offside in the build-up.

The game became particularly quiet thereafter as Algeria stuck with the extremely cagey approach that led them through a WAFCON group stage for the very first time in six attempts. Only six shots were attempted in the second half with just one of them being on target, so everyone could see extra time coming from miles off.

The additional half-hour followed a largely similar pattern, though Algeria did finally develop some semblance of attacking threat as it looked like they might have been conserving some energy to deal a sucker-punch. Even though the game grew increasingly stretched and end-to-end in the second period of extra time, there were no clear-cut chances to speak of as the defenders prevailed in all of the crucial challenges.

So, on we went to penalties for the first time in the tournament. Algeria were shooting first, but it was Ghana who immediately got the upper hand as Cynthia Konlan saved Marine Dafeur’s shot. Three excellent penalties later, the Black Queens goalkeeper came up trumps again with another perfect dive to deny Inès Belloumou. Princella Adubea eventually got the chance to send Ghana through to the semi-finals, and she did just that with an emphatic effort.

What defined Algeria’s match?

Passivity.

Algeria registered a grand total of three attempts in regular time as they looked happy to set course for extra time almost from the off. For at least the first 100 minutes, the Fennecs showed next to no attacking intent as they barely even seemed to probe for any openings, let alone actually create them.

Defensively, Farid Benstiti’s team seemed to realise that the biggest chunk of Ghana’s threat was coming in transition, so they dropped back further and ensured they kept a lot of bodies in their own third. That served their purpose just fine in terms of quietening the game even further.

Algeria did eventually show a little bit of intent in extra time, but that was only on the odd break. At best, they might have hoped that a lapse would give them a golden opportunity, but it was not to be.

What defined Ghana’s match?

Threat in transition.

Ghana never looked like they were going to intricately pick apart a low block, but they did show some promise in more open situations. They certainly looked at their best in the opening stages, when they consistently got their forwards running at the opposition defenders. Princess Marfo looked lively with her ball-carrying once again, though she was guilty of hogging it a little too much at times. The strikers did make a good few selfless runs into the channels, but the all-important support was usually lacking.

The Black Queens looked quite flat after the first half-hour as Algeria dropped back, so they still do not seem well-set to break down low blocks. That should not be as big an issue going forward as they will be clear underdogs in the semi-finals. They should have some opportunities to attack in transition, so it is now up to them to polish their final actions.

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Algeria completed about 300 consecutive minutes of action without a single goal scored at either end in their matches. The Fennecs are still the only team in the tournament other than Nigeria who are yet to concede. Their only goal of the WAFCON came 10 minutes into their opener against Botswana.

Benstiti’s side will certainly not have endeared themselves to the neutrals with such a style of play, but they can be satisfied enough with the outcome in their first major tournament since 2018. Building from this will be the next challenge, so they should still be an interesting team to follow going forward.

What next?

Ghana will face Morocco in the second semi-final on Tuesday night in Rabat, when they will aim to advance to their first WAFCON final since 2006. Algeria will go home for now, and will have to overcome a tough challenge if they are to return next year. Three-time runners-up Cameroon will face them in October for the second round of the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers.