Black Princesses head coach Charles Sampson has admitted that his side lacked composure in front of goal during their 2-2 draw with South Africa in the first leg of the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Ghana took the lead twice in Sunday’s encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium, with goals from Agnes Yeboah and Linda Owusu Ansah, but failed to protect their advantage as the visitors fought back on both occasions.
Despite dominating large portions of the match, Sampson believes his team’s inability to stay calm in crucial moments proved costly.
“Our aim was to win this game. Our aim was to get goals. We dominated the game, which was part of our plan,” he said. “We created chances, but I think what we lacked was the calmness to convert the chances into goals.”
The coach also questioned the referee’s decision to disallow what he believed was Ghana’s third goal.
“We scored the third goal, which I think was questionable [to disallow], because we played the ball to the line and cut it inside,” Sampson added.
With the tie evenly poised, the Black Princesses now face a must-win task in the return leg against South Africa to secure a place in the final round of the qualifiers, where either Zambia or Uganda await.
Sampson and his squad are expected to depart on Tuesday ahead of the decisive second leg, scheduled for Sunday, February 14.
