WAFCON 2024: Kim Bjorkegren Proud of Black Queens Despite Semi-Final Heartbreak
Ghana head coach Kim Bjorkegren has expressed his pride in the Black Queens despite their narrow defeat to host nation Morocco in the semi-final of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Monday night in Rabat.
The Black Queens came agonisingly close to reaching their first final in over two decades, taking the game into extra time before ultimately falling short in a penalty shootout.
“So proud of the girls. They worked so hard,” Bjorkegren said after the match. “We were talking about our fatigue level before the game because we had one day less for recovery than Morocco. We also had a day of travel, so it was really tough from the start.”
The semi-final clash marked the second consecutive 120-minute outing for Ghana, who had also gone the distance in their quarterfinal win over Tunisia.
Despite the physical toll, Bjorkegren believed his side were the better team on the night and pointed to performance metrics to support his claim.
“I think we were the better team in this game. I think we deserved the win. The expected goals show we had 2.21 compared to Morocco’s less than one – that’s normally enough to win. But we were a little unlucky today,” he noted.
The Swedish tactician lauded the determination and effort shown by his squad throughout the match, emphasizing that their performance was one to be proud of despite the heartbreaking exit.
Ghana will now turn their focus to the third-place playoff, where they will face South Africa on Friday at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca.
