There’s plenty to play for in the final of the 2022/23 Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League.
Holders Ampem Darkoa Ladies who are desperate to retain the title must dig deep to overcome four-time winners Hasaacas Ladies at Dr. Kwame Kyei Sports complex at Abrankese on Friday, May 12, 2023.
Both sides left it late to qualify for the finals having won their last matches in their respective zones to advance to the final.
Ampem Darkoa Ladies overcame Ashtown Ladies 5-1 at Techiman while Hasaacas Ladies needed a second half goal to beat Faith Ladies at the Sekondi Gyandu Park.
In their zonal games, the Sekondi-based club won 12 out of the 18 games they played, losing three and drawing the other three. While scored a whopping 38 goals, they only conceded 13 with their top scorer, Doris Boaduwaa scoring nine of those 38 goals.
Ampem Darkoa, on the other hand, managed nine wins and four draws, losing five games out of 18. They were superior in terms of goals as they netted 46 times while conceding 21. Mary Amponsah was 16 times on the scoresheet for the club, just one shy of the league’s top scorer, Princess Owusu.
In all competitions, this will be the fifth meeting in the last three years between these two with Hasaacas Ladies being the superior side. They have three wins including a win in the Women’s FA Cup final and beating them in the semi-finals of the 2021 Women’s Super Cup in addition to the league final win in 2021.
Ampem Darkoa Ladies have two wins from last season, after doing the double over the Hasmal Ladies in Accra and Kumasi respectively.
Coaches of the teams Nana Adarkwa of Ampem Darkoa Ladies and Yussif Basigi of Hasaacas Ladies have been speaking to the media ahead of the final.
Joe Nana Adarkwa – Ampem Darkoa Ladies
"Matches of this nature always come with pressure. As champions of the League, a lot is expected of us, our fans will count on us to make them proud but these kinds of matches won’t come cheap.
Two seasons ago we went through the entire season without defeat yet we lost to Hasaacas Ladies 4-0 in the final so it tells you that a lot comes into play in cup finals. But I am certain about our chances. We will come up against an experienced Hasaacas Ladies team but we are ready to run over them one more time."
Yissif Basigi – coach of Hasaacas Ladies
"Hasaacas Ladies are the pace setters in Women’s football in Ghana. We were the first to win the WAFU Cup and the first to reach the final of the first ever Women’s champions League in Africa so we are peerless.
It’s unfortunate that we lost a lot of players to the foreign Leagues after our maiden Africa campaign for which reason we became weaker and fragile last season. Obviously that resulted in the defeat to Ampem Darkoa Ladies good in both the League and FA Cup.
But this is a different season. I know we had things hard to come by in the southern zone but winning the cup is not beyond us. We are very ready to win the League for the fifth time and qualify for another CAF women’s champions League.
I will entreat all football lovers to come to the stadium and watch the final on Friday. This would be a game between two top teams in Ghana and I promise they won’t regret coming to watch the match."
The final will kick off at 4pm on Friday, May 12, 2023 and broadcast live on Max TV.