Ghana international Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah announced her arrival at Nottingham Forest Women with a brilliant debut strike, even as her side suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Women’s Championship at the City Ground.

The England-born Black Queens forward gave the home crowd something to cheer about late on, unleashing a powerful 20-yard shot to register Forest’s only goal of the afternoon. Her effort halved the deficit but came too late to rescue a point.

Crystal Palace had earlier seized control of the match, with Justine Vanhaevermaet opening the scoring in the 18th minute after lofting a clever finish over goalkeeper Emily Jane Batty. Midway through the first half, Kristy Howah doubled the visitors’ advantage with a sharp finish from a tight angle.

Despite the loss, Boye-Hlorkah’s performance was a bright spot for the Reds and a timely reminder of her attacking prowess. The 27-year-old is expected to be in Black Queens coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren’s squad for Ghana’s upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt next month.

Next up for Nottingham Forest is a clash with Portsmouth as they look to bounce back from their first defeat of the campaign.