WAFCON 2024: Black Queens coach anticipates ‘tricky’ game against Mali

Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has described Ghana’s upcoming clash against Mali at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) as a “tricky” and “difficult” test, with everything on the line for his team.

Ghana must win Friday’s encounter, set for 16:00 GMT at the Stade Municipal de Berkane, to stay in the competition after falling 2-0 to South Africa in their opening Group C game. Meanwhile, a win for Mali, who defeated Tanzania 1-0, would seal their qualification to the next round.

Speaking to CAF ahead of the match, Björkegren acknowledged the threat Mali poses, especially in attack.

“We are playing against a good team. They have especially a couple of good attacking players so it’s going to be a difficult one, a little bit tricky I will say,” the Swedish coach said.

He added that his technical team had thoroughly studied Mali’s strengths and weaknesses and is focused on executing their own game plan.

“We have spent many hours watching the opponents… so the most important thing is that we attack this game in our way,” he emphasized.