Black Queens Fall to Ivory Coast in Final Abidjan Friendly
Ghana’s Black Queens wrapped up their tour of Abidjan with a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Ivory Coast in their final international friendly played on Tuesday evening.
The match, part of Ghana’s preparations for the upcoming 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, saw head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren make two changes to his starting lineup from the previous 3-3 draw. Midfielders Jennifer Cudjoe and Alice Kusi were handed starts in an effort to freshen up the squad.
Despite a promising start from the Ghanaians, who enjoyed a good spell of possession in the opening exchanges, the hosts gradually took control of the match, piling pressure on the Black Queens’ backline.
The Ivorians created several opportunities, but Ghanaian goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan stood firm with a number of crucial saves to keep the visitors in the game.
However, the breakthrough came in the 56th minute when Habibou Ouedraogo found the back of the net with a composed finish, beating Konlan to give the Elephants a deserved lead.
Ghana pushed for an equaliser but lacked the cutting edge in the final third, allowing the Ivorians to hold on for the win in front of a home crowd.
The result leaves the Black Queens with just one win in their last five matches under Bjorkegren, a worrying trend as they gear up for the continental showpiece next month. During that stretch, Ghana have scored four goals and conceded six.
Coach Bjorkegren will now return to the drawing board with lessons learned from the two friendlies against Ivory Coast, as he seeks to fine-tune his squad ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
