Ghana’s U-17 women’s national team coach, Joe Nana Adarkwa, has showered praise on forward Jessica Appiah after her decisive penalty secured the Black Maidens’ place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Appiah played a crucial role in Ghana’s dramatic victory over Argentina, showing composure under pressure to convert the decisive spot-kick in a 5-4 penalty shootout win after the two sides had drawn 1-1 in regulation time.
The young forward had earlier given Ghana the lead by connecting with a well-placed pass from Cynthia Obinsrewuo inside the penalty area. However, Argentina fought back late in the game, with Mercedes Diz heading home from a looping free-kick to restore parity and force the contest into a shootout.
Ghana’s task became even more challenging after the team was reduced to ten players following a sending-off. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Black Maidens remained organised and followed their coach’s instructions to keep Argentina at bay and take the contest to penalties.
The South Americans missed their fifth attempt in the shootout, giving Appiah the opportunity to send Ghana through. The forward made no mistake, converting her kick to seal the victory and spark celebrations among the players and technical team.
Adarkwa, who was visibly emotional after the tense encounter, expressed his delight at Appiah’s contribution and highlighted her growing importance to the national team.
“I’m delighted, as usual,” Adarkwa said. “You can see in the celebrations that I lost my voice, but I’m OK.
“In our match that brought us into this tournament against Senegal, she scored the final penalty and today too. I’m happy for the girl. Jessica is a world-class player – she’s fantastic.
“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. I’m happy for my girls because if you instruct them, they’ll get there.”
Appiah’s match-winning contribution against Argentina follows her decisive role in Ghana’s qualification campaign, where she also scored the final penalty against Senegal to help the team secure a place at the tournament.
Her performances have now strengthened her reputation as one of Ghana’s promising young talents, while the Black Maidens will look to carry the momentum from their hard-fought victory into the quarter-finals as they pursue a place in the semi-finals.
