Ghana’s Black Queens were held to a 1-1 draw by Malawi’s Scorchers at the break after an action-packed opening half in their WAFCON encounter.
Ghana made a flying start and took the lead in the 7th minute through Shantel Boye-Hlorkah, who reacted quickest to a rebound inside the Malawi penalty area. After a shot was fired into the box, Boye-Hlorkah latched onto the loose ball and fired home to give the Black Queens a 1-0 advantage.
The lead, however, lasted just five minutes.
Malawi responded strongly, with Temwa Chawinga restoring parity in the 12th minute. Chawinga unleashed a long-range effort which took a deflection on its way to goal, wrong-footing Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan and finding the back of the net to make it 1-1.
Both sides continued to battle for control as the half progressed, with Ghana looking to regain their advantage while Malawi remained dangerous on the counter.
The Scorchers came close to snatching the lead in the dying moments of the half, launching a late attack during added time. However, Konlan reacted quickly to deny Malawi, ensuring the teams went into the interval level at 1-1.
With everything still to play for, the Black Queens will need to raise their intensity in the second half as they search for the decisive goal.
