How Ghana's Black Queens turned fortunes around

Nora Hauptle has overseen a remarkable turnaround since taking over andthe dream nowis of Wafcon glory

- Emmanuel Ayamga

In the end, Nora Häuptle could not hold back her tears. They were tears of joy. Even for a woman who has played and managed at the highest level, what she had just achieved with Ghana had to be filed under her greatest achievements.

The Black Queens, as Ghana's women's national team are known, had just lost 1-0 in Namibia but the result had very little significance because their 3-1 victory in the first

leg four days before meant they had qualified for the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) - their first major tournament in six years.

As Häuptle, the entire technical staff and players celebrated, waving back at the singing Ghana supporters in the stands and taking it all in, it epitomised their journey to achieve this remarkable feat.

They have made it look so easy with a string of victories yet it has been anything but.

A year ago, this was a team unrecognisable from the one that qualified: fragile and without an identity. Now, they do not just play with swagger but have made a habit of winning games comfortably.