Ghana’s Black Maidens have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after beating Argentina 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regulation time in Morocco.
The Round of 16 encounter at the Mohammed VI Football Complex saw Ghana take an early lead through Jessica Appiah Asamoah in the 16th minute, but Argentina fought back late to force the game into a penalty shootout.
The Black Maidens looked set to secure victory in regulation time until Hajara Adam received a second yellow card in the 77th minute, leaving Ghana with 10 players for the closing stages.
Argentina capitalised on their numerical advantage and equalised in the 86th minute through Mercedes Diz, putting Ghana under further pressure in the final minutes.
Despite conceding late and playing with a player less, the Black Maidens held on to take the contest to penalties, where they kept their composure to win 5-4. Argentina’s Oriana Gomez missed her attempt, handing Ghana the decisive advantage and a place among the tournament’s final eight teams.
Head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa praised his players for sticking to their tactical instructions after Adam’s dismissal, saying their discipline was crucial to keeping Ghana in the contest.
“I’m delighted, as usual. You can see in the celebrations I lost my voice, but I’m OK,” he said after the match.
“We’re a technical team, but our players did well because if you are not tactical when it’s 10 against 11, you lose the game. But thank God the players played according to our instructions and we drew, so we could go through from that.”
The victory highlights the team’s resilience after a difficult final stretch in which Argentina pressed for a winner. Ghana’s defensive organisation and composure from the penalty spot ultimately proved decisive.
The Black Maidens will now face the winner of the Round of 16 tie between Japan and Kenya for a place in the semi-finals.
With a quarter-final spot secured, Adarkwa and his technical team will look to ensure the players recover well and address the disciplinary issues that nearly cost them against Argentina as Ghana continue their push for a place in the last four.
