Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren says reaching the quarterfinals was one of the three key targets set for the team this summer, and is delighted Ghana have achieved it after their group stage draw with Mali.
The Swedish tactician believes Thursday’s game was Ghana’s best performance of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations so far, despite the nervy finish.
“Yeah, I mean to go to the playoff was one of our three targets that we are having in this summer with the Black Queens. The game is the best that we have played – the only thing I can be disappointed over is the fact that we were nervous in the end. We should close this game way earlier,” Björkegren said after the game.
According to the coach, the numbers underline Ghana’s dominance against Mali, but the failure to kill off the game made the closing stages tense.
“We’re having like an xG – there is a 3.3 almost against 0.6. I mean, it’s a normal game that you win with 3-0 or something like that. But in the end, you need to be nervous. So that’s the only thing I can complain about, otherwise I think we played really good football,” he explained.
Björkegren was particularly pleased with how his side started the match, pointing to the first half as the best the Black Queens have produced in the tournament.
“I think we were ready from the start today. The first half, like I said, this is probably the best one we have played. But at the end of the day, we needed one point and we took it and now we are in a good position.”
Ghana’s qualification for the quarterfinals means the Black Queens are now just one game away from securing a place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, a fact not lost on the coach.
“Because this quarterfinal is only one game from the World Cup,” Björkegren stressed.
Ghana finished second in Group C to book a place in the last eight of the competition and will now shift focus to the knockout stage as they chase a return to the global stage.
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