Sports
Black Queens showed fight too late against Cameroon, says Bjorkegren
Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren believes Ghana's improved second-half display against Cameroon came too late to prevent a 1-0 defeat in their second Group D match at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
A first-half penalty proved decisive as the Black Queens suffered their first defeat of the tournament, leaving them needing victory against Mali in their final group game to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Ghana fell behind to a first-half penalty awarded after a lengthy VAR review, before seeing a late equaliser ruled out for offside as the Black Queens suffered their first defeat of the tournament.
Reflecting on the performance, Bjorkegren admitted his side struggled to cope with Cameroon’s intensity in the opening 45 minutes.
“Looking at the first half, I felt they won almost every 50-50 duel. It was not just that we lost the first ball; we lost the second and the third. We were just reacting in every moment.”
The Swedish coach also criticised his team’s use of the ball, saying Ghana failed to execute its game plan.
“I wasn’t happy with the first half, and I felt we couldn’t control the ball either. We made it too simple for them. We played too many long balls instead of trying to break the first lines. Those were small tactical things that didn’t work for us.”
However, Bjorkegren praised his players for responding after the interval, saying the tactical adjustments discussed at halftime helped Ghana produce a much stronger display.
“I felt they adapted pretty well to the things we spoke about at halftime. The second half, technically, was much better and the fighting spirit was completely different. The game changed a lot.”
Despite the improved performance, the Black Queens were unable to find an equaliser, with Björkegren admitting the response came too late.
“I’m proud of the girls for the performance and the fighting spirit they showed in the second half, but it was also too late today.”
Ghana must now beat Mali, who secured victory over Cape Verde later on Sunday to be level on points with Black Queens, in their final Group D fixture to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet
