Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren believes halftime tactical adjustments, coupled with Evelyn Badu's introduction, transformed Ghana's performance in the second half of Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Cameroon at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Trailing at the break, Björkegren introduced Badu and reshaped his midfield to give Ghana greater control after struggling against Cameroon's physical presence in the opening 45 minutes.
"We were ready for a tough central midfield to play against them. Normally we think that we are pretty strong there as well," he said.
The Swedish coach admitted his initial tactical plan did not work as expected.
"We had the idea to invert one of the wingers, but we didn't do it the way I thought we should have done it. That's why we brought in Evelyn Badu and also inverted a little bit with Chantelle. It put us four against three in midfield, and maybe that helped a little bit."
The changes sparked an improved display from the Black Queens, with Badu making an immediate impact. The forward thought she had drawn Ghana level in the second half, only for her effort to be ruled out for offside.
While Bjorkegren acknowledged the tactical adjustments helped, he credited his players' determination for the turnaround.
"In the end, I think it was more about fighting spirit that changed the game in the second half, but position-wise it maybe helped a little bit."
Despite Ghana's improved performance after the break, the Black Queens were unable to find a legitimate equaliser and now face a must-win clash against Mali in their final Group D fixture.
Send your news stories to [email protected] and via WhatsApp on +233 546310076.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS