Black Princesses head coach Charles Sampson has described the result against Ecuador as unexpected, admitting that the early and avoidable goals put the team on the back foot.
Ghana opened their U-20 World Cup campaign in a 3-0 defeat to Ecuador, leaving the Princesses with work to do if they are to progress to the knockout stage.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Sampson admitted that Ghana’s poor start and defensive lapses handed Ecuador a crucial advantage.
“This was a little bit unexpected. The way we started the game, the way we conceded those two goals, they were a bit cheap, if you could ask me,” he stated.
He noted that the early goals changed the nature of the game and boosted the South Americans’ confidence while leaving Ghana to struggle to find its rhythm.
“And that also definitely gave Ecuador more strength and got us a little bit out of balance.”
Despite the shortcomings, coach Sampson praised the players for their attitude and determination shown after going behind, admitting that his side failed to make the most of the opportunities they created in the final third.
“But I like the attitude that the girls showed up. We were unfortunate and not clinical enough in the last third. We should have been able to score some goals and come into the game.
He further stressed that Ghana’s inability to come back into the game eventually left them exposed, as Ecuador punished another lapse on the counter-attack to close the game.
“The more the game goes on, and it’s 2-0, and then you don’t reduce it, you become vulnerable. And then they went on a counterattack again and got us. That’s unfortunate, but I like the character that we showed.”
Although he acknowledged the disappointment his players would feel after the loss, he urged them to turn their attention to the challenges ahead with lessons learnt from the game.
“Now we just have to accept it. Today we are a bit down, and it’s normal. Then tomorrow we try to look at the game, see the things that we can do better, and put our energy on the last two games.”
“We still have two games, so that gives us a chance to recover and be able to put us back into the competition,” he concluded.
The Black Princesses will turn their attention to crucial Group C fixtures against South Korea and France.
Ghana will now have to regroup and improve if they are to progress to the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
