Ampem Darkoa Ladies’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League were ended by a 2-0 defeat by defending champions AS FAR, with goalkeeper Rose Baah’s red card proving decisive.

The Ghanaian champions had started their Group B campaign strongly, opening with a 5-1 victory over USFAS Bamako of Mali before beating Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies 2-1.

That left them in contention for a place in the last four ahead of their final group fixture against AS FAR.

Baah helped keep Ampem Darkoa in the match just before half-time when she saved a penalty to prevent the Moroccan side from taking the lead.

However, the goalkeeper was dismissed only five minutes into the second half. She appeared to stomp on an opponent’s lower abdomen after gathering the ball, leaving Ampem Darkoa to continue with 10 players.

AS FAR took advantage of the numerical advantage and went on to win 2-0, ending the Ghanaian champions’ hopes of progressing to the semi-finals.

The result left AS FAR, Kawempe Muslim Ladies and Ampem Darkoa Ladies level on six points in Group B. Because all three sides had defeated USFAS Bamako, their results against the Malian team were not included in the head-to-head calculations.

The final positions were instead determined by the results between the three teams involved in the tie. Ampem Darkoa finished third in that mini-table and missed out on a semi-final place.

Their campaign included two wins from three group matches and seven goals, but the Ghanaian champions will return home disappointed after falling short in their final game.

Charles Anokye Frimpong’s side will now focus on the Women’s Premier League, where they will attempt to defend their domestic title and earn another opportunity to compete in Africa.

GFA COMMUNICATIONS