Ghana beats Ivory Coast 2-1 at WAFCON to keep Women's World Cup qualification hopes alive

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CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Ghana came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 Thursday and earn one of Africa’s last two chances to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria was to play South Africa for the other later as the four beaten quarterfinalists at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations were pitted against each other to decide which two progress to the World Cup intercontinental playoffs.

The four semifinalists – Cameroon, Malawi, Morocco and Algeria – have all qualified directly for next year’s tournament in Brazil. Cameroon and tournament debutant Malawi will contest the WAFCON final on Sunday.

Defeat for Ivory Coast means missing out on what would have been its second World Cup appearance after 2015, while Ghana can maintain its hope of a fourth participation and first since 2007.

The Black Queens got off to a bad start in Casablanca with Princess Marfo penalized for an apparent foul on Ivorian captain Bernadette Amani in the area in the first minute.

Inès Konan kept her cool despite a three-minute delay for a VAR check and duly dispatched the penalty to open the scoring for Ivory Coast.

Ghana thought it had equalized early in the second half when goalkeeper Océane Lamfir flapped at a cross and Evelyn Badu squared the loose ball to Stella Nyamekye, who fired into the unguarded net. The goal was disallowed, however, after a VAR check deemed Lamfir still had control of the ball.

Princess finally headed in the equalizer before the hour mark, and Josephine Bonsu got the Black Queens’ winner from the penalty spot in the 72nd after Aboa Yapo was penalized for hand ball – again after a VAR check – when Grace Asantewaa’s shot hit her arm.

Two teams from Africa and two from Asia will vie with one each from Oceania and South America in the first phase of the World Cup intercontinental playoffs at a centralized venue in November and December.

The top two from those six will advance to the second phase in February 2027, when they will face a country from Europe, another from South America, and two from the CONCACAF region to determine the final three qualifiers for the tournament.

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