Author: Victoria Kwofie
The Royal Ladies of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) narrowly missed out on a historic continental triumph after losing the Africa Cup for Club Championship title on penalties in Zimbabwe.
The Royal Ladies were imperious in the group stage, recording three straight victories, a 2-0 win over Lakers of Kenya, a commanding 6-2 triumph against Bulawayo of Zimbabwe, and a dominant 4-0 victory over Hippo Valley. Their outstanding performances saw them sweep all the Best Player awards in the group stage and cruise into the final.
In a tense final against familiar opponents Lakers of Kenya, GRA captain Elizabeth Opoku opened the scoring to give the Royal Ladies the lead. However, Lakers responded with an equaliser to force a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation time. The match was decided by a penalty shootout, where Lakers edged past the Royal Ladies 2-0, a reversal of the opening-day group stage result.
Although the Royal Ladies missed the chance to claim a sixth continental title and a fifth consecutive crown, they added another chapter to their rich history by recording their fifth silver medal since debuting in the competition in 2008. Their previous silver finish came in Egypt in 2019.
In the men’s third-place playoff, the Ghana Revenue Authority team secured bronze after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Hippo Valley. The match ended 2-2 at full time before GRA prevailed from the spot, achieving their target of finishing on the podium. Luke was adjudged Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.
Individually, GRA also shone at the tournament awards, with Matilda Addison and Eugene Acheampong named Best Goalkeepers of the competition, while Royal Ladies captain Elizabeth Opoku capped a brilliant campaign by emerging as the tournament’s Top Scorer with seven goals.
