WAFCON 2026: Björkegren blames fatigue and limited recovery time for Ghana’s Malawi defeat

The Black Queens had fewer rest days before the knockout fixture after finishing second in Group D, and they also had to travel before the quarterfinal in Rabat.

Ghana eventually suffered a 2-1 defeat despite taking an early lead through Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah.

Bjorkegren admitted that the demanding schedule may have affected some of his players, particularly midfielder Alice Kusi, who started the match strongly but struggled to maintain her performance.

“We talked about it in the press conference yesterday that we had less rest days before this game, including some travelling,” Björkegren said.

“Of course, you can potentially see that Alice is a good example that I talked about, that I felt she started the game really well, but she couldn’t hold up her performance and probably because she was tired.”

The coach believes Kusi’s workload was a factor in her reduced impact as the game progressed.

“She played a couple of days ago, and you need probably one day more to get fit, but it’s out of our control.”

The Swedish tactician also pointed to the structure of the competition, saying Ghana’s position in Group D meant the team would always have fewer recovery days before the quarterfinal.

“That’s just a fact when you are in Group D that you will always have less days to recover,” he added.

Despite the physical challenge, Ghana started the match well and took an early lead. But the Black Queens could not sustain their performance for the full 90 minutes, allowing Malawi to turn the game around.

The defeat has denied Ghana a place in the WAFCON semifinals and automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

However, the Black Queens have not been eliminated from the World Cup race. They will face Cote d’Ivoire in the WAFCON play-in on Thursday, with a victory taking them into the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.

Ghana must now recover quickly and regroup for another decisive match, with their hopes of returning to the World Cup still alive.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet