Ghana played their first game at the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Monday, July 7.
The Black Queens suffered a 2-0 loss to defending champions South Africa in their opening game in Group C, marking a disappointing return to the competition.
Ghana was only making a return to the continental showpiece after nearly seven years, their last being the 2018 edition which the country hosted.
Despite defeat in their opener, there were quite a lot of positives to pick from the game against Banyana Banyana on Monday afternoon.
- Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah is key
For someone who was only debuting at a major tournament with the Black Queens, Chantelle’s performance was quite commendable. The midfielder did the basics, breaking down attacks, creating spaces and on some occasions, picking up some decent positions in the final third. The London-based midfielder recorded Ghana’s first shot on target in the game with a weaker-footed effort, but it was her performance in the middle of the park and on the right flank that drew plaudits.
If the team is to go on and make an impact in subsequent games, they would need to get Chantelle more involved in the final third of the pitch.
- Decision-making in the final third
The Black Queens made a decent start to their game against the Banyana Banyana side, but ultimately missed out on anything from the game; no points and no goals. Their aggressive start to the opening minutes meant they pushed South Africa back to their own half, but the decision-making in that area meant they couldn’t make the most of their opportunities. Doris Boaduwaa, Alice Kusi, and even to some extent, Evelyn Badu were all culprits of some poor decisions during their time on the pitch, which didn’t help the team. Kim Lars Bjorkegren and his technical staff need to find ways to get the team to make the most of their advantages in the final third.
- Doris Boaduwaa needs to find her strongest position
Inasmuch as being versatile can be a great advantage, sometimes, it could be a huge disadvantage. Take the Doris Boaduwaa case as an example. Doris is who she is because of her burst onto the scene as a wide player. However, over the years in the senior national team, there have been attempts to get her to play as the main striker, the centre-forward. For someone who always loves the ball at her feet, that decision to play her as the No.9 looks laughable. Against South Africa, she looked non-existent, and the only times she came into the picture, her decision-making was all over the place.
Going forward, she needs to identify what her stronghold is; she needs to come to the party because she has been among the goals in recent times, and Bjorkegren would definitely be counting on her for goals in the next two games.
- No Jennifer Cudjoe, no party
When the lineup for the game against South Africa came out, there was concern in one area of the pitch: the midfield. Not because it didn’t have personalities to execute to perfection, but because it lacked a popular face and a needed experienced name. Jennifer Cudjpe was that missing link. Unfortunately for Bjorkegren, the US-based midfielder was serving a suspension from Ghana’s last competitive game prior to this tournament.
Wasiima Mohammed was chosen to partner Grace Asantewaa, and while the Northern Ladies midfielder looked jittery on a few occasions, she still came clean in some aspects of her game. The only issue is, she was a different profile from Jennifer and one that didn’t really complement the Mexico-based box-to-box midfielder.
The good news for the team is that, in subsequent games, Jennifer could be available and that would be a breath of fresh air to the squad, considering her involvement in the team’s high and low times.
Ghana will face Mali and Tanzania in their next games with the hope of advancing into the knockout stages.
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