Police lift Sanford Women’s FA Cup
A sterling performance from the players capped by a goal in each half, helped Police Ladies to beat Fabulous Ladies 2-1 to lift the maiden Sanford Women's FA Cup trophy in the final game played at the Cape Coast Stadium last Saturday.
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Faiza Ibrahim, who scored both goals for Police, could have gone into the history books as being the first to score a hat-trick in the competition but her third goal which would have put the icing on the cake for a resolute Police side, was rightly ruled off side by referee Fulera Baie.
The match lived up to its hype with a decent attendance of over 6,000 spectators, but it was the performance of the two sides that yet again emphasised the excitement associated with FA Cup ties.
From start to finish, there was never a dull moment as both sides pushed for the lead and it was Ibrahim that put Police through when she rounded up veteran goalkeeper Memunatu Sulemana to slot in the opener, putting their supporters up on their feet in celebration.
However, the Kotoko fans who had also turned out to support their ladies urged their team on but had to wait till the 60th minute before the equaliser but just as they were hoping for a draw to push the game into extra time and perhaps, penalty kicks, Ibrahim struck again, this time, beautifully connecting from the right a perfect cross from Deborah Afriyie.
The pain of losing was certainly felt much more as Afriyie was a former player of Fabulous Ladies while another former Fabulous star, Ama Saabi, also denied them of a goal when she bravely cleared off the line a powerful shot from Alice Kusi.
The Police defence managed to help their side hold on the lead until the end when erupted into joy when the final whistle went, their celebration knew no bounds, carrying it on to the podium to receive their gold medals, the cash prize of GHC10,000 and the champions trophy.
For Fabulous, it was a final well fought but lost to a more purposeful side on the day and so had to settle for the silver medal and the cash prize of GHC5,000.
Their top striker, Agnes Aduako won the Top scorer award with eight goals, recieving a cash prize and a mini trophy, while Deborah Afriyie won the Best Player of the competition.