Soccer News of Saturday, 23 January 2010

Source: GNA

Faiza's brace progresses Ghana

Accra, Jan. 23, GNA - Faiza Ibrahim's brace was all that Ghana's Black Princesses required to progress to the next round of the FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers in a return leg encounter with Tunisia at the El-Wak Stadium. The Princesses won the first encounter by a lone goal in Tunis a fortnight ago but struggled to translate their dominance into results and had to wait until the stroke of half time to go ahead for the first time on the afternoon.

Ibrahim, whose bulky nature had diminished her sharpness in the attack that saw a pale shadow of the team's hope Florence Dadson, laboured the entire half to find the net as she towered her markers to head home from a corner kick in 45 minutes.

Both teams returned from recess with renewed vigour, but it was the Ghanaians who returned to the driving seat and when Hillia Kobblah tore away on the left flank and unleashed a powerful shot that the visitor's rear dealt poorly with, Ibrahim competed with Dadson to score and the former proved luckier to earn a brace and the Princesses third over two leg. Elated Ibrahim celebrated acrobatically only to invite am injury that will send her out for the rest of the game and replaced by Silla Owusu. The Princesses are chasing a first World Cup appearance after missing out on the last one narrowly. The competition slated for Germany from July 13-August 5 provides Africa with two slots. 23 January 2010