The Lioness of England wrapped up 2025 with a 2-0 win over the Black Queens of Ghana in an international friendly match at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton on Tuesday. Lucia Kendall scored her first senior international goal in the 6th minute, and Alessia Russo sealed the victory with a penalty in the 95th minute.
The match marked the first-ever meeting between the two nations, with England dominating possession and creating several scoring opportunities.
The win extends England’s unbeaten run against African opposition, with their last loss being a 3-0 defeat to Nigeria in 2004.
Ghana coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren named Goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan Fiindib in post with captain Portia Boakye and Susan Ama Duah leading a defensive setup.
Benedicte Simon, made her Black Queens debut, slotting into the backline for her first appearance in Ghana’s colours alongside Comfort Yeboah, Portia Boakye and Susan Duah.
The midfield featured the industrious trio of Jennifer Cudjoe, Stella Nyamekye and Grace Asantewaa as Alice Kusi, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah and Doris Boaduwaa played upfront.
Kendall’s goal was her first senior international goal, and she expressed her joy, saying, “It felt like it was written for me to score today… It was a really special moment for me.”
England captain Alessia Russo also praised Ghana’s performance, stating, “Ghana provided the type of test we wanted… We want to test ourselves against different playing styles, and we definitely got that tonight”.
This friendly match marks England’s final game of 2025, and they will now focus on their qualifying campaign for the 2027 World Cup, as Ghana also shifts attention to the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Black Queens will pick a lot of positive lessons from the match ahead of the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
