Ghana’s U-17 Women’s Handball Team bounced back in style, securing a dominant 40-14 victory over Togo in their second match of the IHF Women’s Trophy Tournament – Africa Zone, after losing in the first leg.
The team started strong, ending the first half with a commanding 18-8 lead. Ghana intensified their efforts in the second half, tactically outplaying their opponents and creating more openings. Key players, including Portia Mbalila, Ativor Ruth, Anane Yasmin, and Debora Bosompem led the attack and scored multiple goals for the team.
Goalkeeper Naomi Okyere was exceptional, making crucial saves to keep Ghana in full control of the game. Her outstanding performance earned her the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Coach Raphael Sifah praised the team’s effort; the recovery is good. The girls were a bit slow in executing the game plan, which allowed our opponents to score some goals. But we will work hard for our next game to restore the hope of Ghanaians in the team.”
He added; “winning the MVP award shows the quality we have in the girls. I believe that if we had prepared well and had enough training, our opening day defeat could have been avoided. But it’s a learning curve and we’ll correct those mistakes.”
Meanwhile, the U-19 Women’s team could not maintain their winning momentum in their second game, falling short to Burkina Faso in a closely contested match.
Ghana trailed 13-10 at the end of the first half and, despite a determined effort after the break, they couldn’t overcome the deficit. The game ended in a 29-26 defeat for Ghana.
A major setback for the U-19 side was the injury to Mary Akaasa — Day 1’s Most Valuable Player — who was ruled out of the match, dealing a blow to the team’s attacking force.
Coach Raphael Sifah, who also leads the U-19 side, said after the match:
“It was a tough game. Losing Mary was a big blow, and it affected our rhythm. But the girls fought hard. We’ve learned valuable lessons and will regroup ahead of the next challenge.”
The U 17 side will next face Nigeria on Tuesday at 12 noon and later at 6pm the U 19 will take on host Ivory Coast.
