Ghana’s head coach, Kim Lars Björkegren, believes his side were the better team in their opening match against South Africa but admits they must raise their level to get a result against Mali in their second Group C game at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The Black Queens will face Les Aiglonnes of Mali on Thursday, July 11, at the Stade Municipal de Berkane, with kick-off set for 16:00 GMT.

Speaking to the media ahead of the crucial fixture, Björkegren said the team showed promise against the defending champions despite the 2-0 loss.

“[Against South Africa] it wasn’t the result that we wanted, but at the same time we played against a very good team. In the big period of the time we were the better team,” he said.

“We had more shots, we had more shots on goal, we had more corners, we hit the bar twice. They had one VAR penalty and scored, but overall we did pretty well. We just need to leave that game for now and move on, and make sure we do an even better game against Mali.”

Ghana will need a win to keep their hopes of progressing alive, as Mali sit second in the group following a victory over Tanzania in their opening match.