I was preparing the team for Africa, not the final – Ampem Darkoa Ladies Coach William Afoakwa

Ampem Darkoa Ladies' head coach William Afoakwa has revealed that his focus was never on winning the Women's Premier League final but rather on preparing his side for continental success in the WAFU Zone B qualifiers and the CAF Women's Champions League.

Speaking after his team's dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Hasaacas Ladies to clinch the league title, Afoakwa insisted he was not surprised by the result.

"For me, I'm not surprised because my preparations were towards WAFU and not even the league. When the league started, I watched the way Ampem Darkoa played their game. I compared it to other teams and said to myself, 'We are going to win the league.' But we are thinking of going to the WAFU. Not the league that we just won. It's all about going to Africa. That's our ambition," he said.

Afoakwa pointed to the quality of his players and their tactical approach as the foundation for his confidence.

"With the calibre of players and the kind of strategy that they have been playing for me, that's why I said to myself. So no big deal. No big surprise or whatever."

He also revealed that the final victory was a form of payback for a previous FA Cup quarter-final loss to Hasaacas Ladies, which he attributed to home advantage and set-piece goals.

"We played Hasaacas Ladies in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and if you look at the chances they used to beat us, I told them we were going to beat them in the finals because it's on neutral ground. They had the opportunity to play on their home ground; that's why they scored us with those kinds of set pieces. Today we saw them, and I said, 'I won't allow them to beat us twice."

Afoakwa acknowledged the rivalry between the two clubs in terms of league titles and WAFU success and made clear his intention to push ahead.

"We want to match their five league titles since we are now on for it. In the WAFU, we both have one each, and we are hoping to win to go ahead of them."

The victory secures Ampem Darkoa's place in the WAFU Zone B qualifiers for the CAF Women's Champions League, where they will aim to represent Ghana and conquer Africa – exactly as their coach has been planning all along.