Matchday 8 of the Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League brought an end to the impressive unbeaten starts of Jonina Ladies and Ampem Darkoa Ladies, as both league leaders suffered their first losses of the season in contrasting encounters across the Southern and Northern Zones.
In the Southern Zone, Jonina Ladies were edged out 1–0 by Army Ladies at the Teshie Mats Park, with Linda Achiaa scoring the decisive goal in the 70th minute. The narrow defeat halted Jonina’s unbeaten run, but the result did little to dent their position at the top of the table, as they remain joint leaders on 19 points, holding the advantage over Army Ladies on goal difference.
Over in the Northern Zone, reigning champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies were handed a 2–1 defeat by Dreamz Ladies at the Bantama AstroTurf. Despite Ajegipina Zakaria extending her lead at the top of the scoring chart with her 10th goal of the campaign in the 16th minute, Dreamz responded quickly, netting twice in the 24th and 32nd minutes to complete a first-half turnaround.
Ampem Darkoa Ladies continue to sit comfortably at the summit of the Northern Zone standings with 19 points, staying clear of Royal Fosu Ladies, who moved to 14 points after settling for a 1–1 draw against Kumasi Sports Academy.
Elsewhere, the race for the league’s Golden Glove award tightened further as Hasaacas Ladies were held to a 0–0 draw by Police Ladies. That result saw goalkeeper Grace Buoadu Banwaa record her sixth clean sheet of the season, bringing her level with Osman Huzeimah of Jonina Ladies at the top of the clean-sheet rankings.
With unbeaten records now off the table, Matchday 8 has injected fresh intrigue into the Women’s Premier League, even as both Jonina Ladies and Ampem Darkoa Ladies maintain their grip on the summit of their respective zones.
By: Yayra Fortune
