Morocco 1 – 1 (Pen 4–2) Ghana Player Ratings: Stella Nyamekye Rated 7/10 as Ghana Fall Short of Morocco in Women’s AFCON Semi-Final

Morocco took on Ghana in the second semifinal of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations on 22nd July, 2025, at 8:00 PM (GMT), at the Olympic Stadium Rabat in Rabat, Morocco. Both the teams took the field with an eye on the finals of the prestigious tournament.

It was Ghana who started as the better of the two teams, as their relentless pressing forced the Moroccan players to make heinous errors in and around the danger areas. Morocco struggled to get out of their own half for almost 15 minutes in the first half, due to sustained pressure from the Ghanaian players. Ghana's press proved to be decisive, as they forced a corner that wasn't cleared properly by the Moroccan defense. As a result, Comfort Yeboah put in a lovely cross for Josephine Bonsu, who was totally unmarked in the penalty box. She headed it towards the goal, but Khadija Er-Rmichi got a fingertip to it, which kept it on the line for some time. However, Stella Nyamekye was on hand to put it in the back of the net to put Ghana in the lead in the 26th minute. Morocco improved their game a bit in the last few minutes of the first half but were unable to create any clear goal-scoring opportunities.

Morocco Women's Football Team seemed to be a different side in the second half, with more zeal and enthusiasm in their play. They started finding the spaces in and around the Ghana midfield and beat the press quite comfortably, something they were struggling to do in the first half. Ghana Women's Football Team seemed to have taken their foot off the gas a bit when Mssoudy robbed Yeboah of the ball and drove forward before placing it for Elodie Nakkach, whose shot ricocheted off Ama Duah before falling nicely for Sakina Ouzraoui in the penalty box. Ouzraoui controlled the ball beautifully and placed it in the bottom left corner past the diving Cynthia Konlan in the 55th minute of the game. There were no further openings for either of the teams and the game went to extra time.

Both teams were visibly tired but pushed their limits to grab a winner. However, all their efforts were in vain, as the score stayed on level terms and the game had to be decided through a penalty shootout. Hanane El Haj took the first kick for Morocco and scored. Josephine Bonsu replied with a cool finish past Er-Rmichi from the penalty spot. It was the substitute, Evelyn Badu, who missed the third spot kick for Ghana, leaving her team behind in the shootout. Yeboah faced the same fate, as her shot was well saved by the Moroccan goalkeeper. Morocco Women's National Football Team will face Nigeria Women's National Football Team in the finals of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Here are the Morocco vs Ghana Player Ratings.

Morocco Women's National Football Team Player Ratings

Here are Morocco player ratings from Morocco vs Ghana Women's Euro game:

Goalkeeper:

Khadija Er-Rmichi - 5.5/10

Didn't have much to do in the first half; played well with the ball at her feet. Should have done better in Ghana's first goal of the game, as she got a fingertip to the ball and not a firm hand.

Defenders:

Hanane Ait El Haj - 6/10

El Haj was quite good on the right-hand side of the pitch, as she defended wholeheartedly against the likes of Princess Marfo and Josephine Bonsu. Although she was caught out of position at times, she made quick recoveries.

Nouhaila Benzina - 5/10

The centre back was rock solid defensively, as she thwarted a number of Ghana crosses on her own. Benzina came out to put in tackles in and around the penalty area at crucial times.

Aziza Rabbah - 5.5/10

Rabbah supported her partner Benzina quite well at the back. She played a couple of good balls from the backline and held the defensive line well.

Zineb Redouani - 6/10

Zinab Redouani was a bit shaky on the left flank, as most of the Morocco attacks emerged from her side. Offensively, she produced little threat and was unable to track the dangerous runs from Comfort Yeboah and Susan Ama Duah.

Midfielders:

Yasmine Katie Mrabet - 6/10

Playing as a defensive midfielder, Mrabet was pretty decent. She cut out the passing lanes and dropped in between the centre backs during defensive transitions. However, she lost the ball too many times in danger areas.

Sakina Ouzraoui - 7/10

Ouzraoui dropped deep at times to help out her midfielders. She got into good positions inside the box and did get off a shot or two, which was well dealt with by Cynthia Konlan. She equalized for Morocco in the second half after the Ghanaian goalkeeper failed to close her down properly.

Elodie Nakkach - 5.5/10

Nakkach tried her best in the middle but just couldn't get things going. She lost possession quite a few times in the middle of the pitch, which led to dangerous counter-attacks in favor of the opponent.

Ghizlane Chebbak - 6.5/10

Chebbak regulated the play for Morocco quite well in the middle of the park with her sharp turns and quick feet. She found spaces to attack and delivered quality balls for the attackers to pounce upon.

Sanaa Mssoudy - 6/10

Mssoudy played on the right wing and was quite lively throughout the game. She got into good positions in and around the Ghana penalty box and was quite tidy with her trickery in the danger areas.

Forwards:

Ibtissam Jraidi - 5.5/10

The forward tried her best to get into dangerous positions but didn't get much supply from the midfielders. In the second half, she dropped deep to help out her midfielders, who were struggling to cut out the press of the Ghana players.

Substitutes:

Najat Badri - 6/10

Fatima Tagnaout - 5.5/10

Imane Saoud - 5/10

Sarah Kassi - NA

Anissa Lahmari - NA

Kenza Chapelle - NA

Manager:

Jorge Vilda - 6/10

Vilda fielded a 4-1-4-1 formation with Mrabet being the lone defensive midfielder. His team suffered a lot in the first half as they were quite sloppy in possession and gave the ball away way too cheaply in the danger areas. Morocco seemed to have improved a bit in the second half, which indicates that he was quite successful in cheering his team up in difficult times.

Ghana Women's National Football Team Player Ratings

Here are Ghana player ratings from Morocco vs Ghana Women's Euro match:

Goalkeeper:

Cynthia Konlan - 6/10

Konlan was untested throughout the first half. She had little to do in the second half too, with one or two saves here and there as her team dominated the game for most of the time.

Defenders:

Comfort Yeboah - 6.5/10

Comfort Yeboah was quite lively down the right flank and gave a tough time to Redouani. Defensively, she was sound too, as he prevented Sana Mssoudy from getting into dangerous positions. It was her cross which started the chaos in the Moroccan penalty box, leading to the goal.

Susan Ama Duah - 6/10

Ama Duah was rock solid at the heart of the defense for Morocco, thwarting a number of dangerous Morocco counter-attacks almost single-handedly.

Portia Boakye - 6.5/10

The centre back got well in the line of the ball and lunged into important tackles in and around the danger area without much fear. She made quite a few good runs with the ball from the back and passed it to teammates in better positions.

Josephine Bonsu - 5.5/10

Bonsu struggled a bit against Sakina Ouzraoui, as she couldn't keep up with the winger's pace on a couple of occasions. However, she made quick recoveries to ensure no further damage was inflicted. Should have scored in the first instance, which was ultimately buried by Stella Nyamekye.

Midfielders:

Grace Asantewaa - 6.5/10

One of the defensive midfielders in the double pivot, Asantewaa cut the passing lines quite well and recovered possession quickly for her team on numerous occasions.

Jennifer Cudjoe - 6.5/10

Cudjoe supported Asantewaa brilliantly in the double pivot by standing strong and thwarting the Morocco attacks almost every time. She put her physicality to good use and got the better of the Moroccan midfielders who tried to drive forward with the ball.

Stella Nyamekye - 7/10

Stella Nyamekye started on the right-hand side and brought her A-game to the all-important match. She pressed hard and won a number of balls for her team in danger areas. However, her highlight of the match was when she put the ball in the back of the net past the helpless Er-Rmichi to give Ghana the lead.

Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah - 6.5/10

Boye-Hlorkah played as an attacking midfielder and was quite useful in the middle of the park. Her quick movements made the Moroccan defenders think twice, which she put to good use and picked out a sublime pass or took a shot on goal. She even dropped deep to defend at times and pressed like crazy.

Princess Marfo - 6/10

Marfo was decent on the left-hand side, as she got the better of El Haj on numerous occasions. However, she had a below-par game as compared to her compatriots.

Forwards:

Doris Boaduwaa - 5.5/10

Doris Boaduwaa had little to do in the game, as she was tightly marked by the two Moroccan centre backs. However, she dropped deep at times to get involved in the play and made space for the likes of Nyamekye and Princess Marfo to attack.

Substitutes:

Alice Kusi - 6/10

Princella Adubea - 5.5/10

Evelyn Badu - 4/10

Sherifatu Sumaila - NA

Manager:

Kim Bjorkegren - 6.5/10

Bjorkegren took the field with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Grace Asantewaa and Jennifer Cudjoe acting as a double pivot. His tactics were spot on, and his team carried out his instructions quite brilliantly. His team pressed quite efficiently in the first half and didn't let the Moroccan players have the ball for too long.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Stella Nyamekye