Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren says a red card to his team in their game against Senegal affected their gameplay.
Ghana, despite being reduced to 10 players, recorded a 1-0 win over Senegal in the first of two friendly games during the April international break.
Anasthesia Achiaa was sent off after picking up a second yellow card early in the second half, which the Swedish trainer believes had an impact on the remainder of the game.
“I felt that towards the end of the first half, we were adapting to their physical style, with more stops and a more Senegal-like way of playing. We actually discussed this at halftime, noting that we needed to play football on the ground and move the ball a little faster,” he said after the game.
“However, we didn’t, and early in the second half, we received a red card. When we did, it completely changed the game. From that point on, it was a completely different game.”
The win over the weekend was Ghana’s first since beating Namibia at the Accra Sports Stadium in December 2023 with a 3-1 scoreline.
“Of course, in professional football, you’re always happy when you win. For us, there was one main aim: to win the game,” he added.
“I would say that in the first 30 minutes, we were able to score a beautiful goal, exactly how we wanted to play, with a perfect cross. And Evelyn scored with a great header from a number 10 position. I think we started the game pretty well.”
The two teams meet again on Tuesday for the second game before the end of the international break.
The two games form the Black Queens’ preparations for the delayed 2024 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) to be staged in Morocco in July.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
