Princesses top striker targets quarter-finals at Papua New Guinea World Cup

Black Princesses top striker, Jane Akalachiba Ayieyam, has set a personal target of helping her side to gain a first ever quarter-finals berth at the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup to be staged in Papua New Guinea.

The tournament roars from November 13 to December 3, this year.

Ayieyam, who failed to make it to the last edition of the tournament in Canada due to injury, believes the side has what it takes to go as far as the final with the needed support.

Speaking on Monday evening before emplaning together with the rest of the team to Australia to begin the second and final phase of their preparation for the World Cup, Ayieyam noted that the first and foremost target of the team is to get out of the group stages into the knockout stages for the first time in history.

“Our chief target at the tournament is to make it to the quarter-finals stage after which we would be looking at entering the medal zone.”

According to her, it is sad that a football country like Ghana is yet to go past the quarter-finals stage and on its fourth attempt at the championship they would surely be looking at scaling that hurdle.

“I have the confidence that we would drive beyond the group stage and with an astute technical brain in the person of Mas-Ud Didi Dramani leading us, we would surely achieve our first target of getting into the quarter-finals and further explore the possibilities of going for the ultimate.”

At the last tournament, the Black Princesses were on the verge of making a quarter-final appearance in Canada, shocking the host 1-0 in the opening game 1-0 before losing 0-3 to Korea DPR and defeating Finland 2-1 in their final group game.

However, the two victories achieved did nothing to help them to advance as they missed the quarter-finals on goal difference.

The striker, one of the 21 players who left the shores of Ghana Monday night, is hoping to line up in the Princesses Group C opening game against New Zealand on November 14 at the PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby before taking on France on November 17 at the same venue and then three-time champions USA on November 21 at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby.