Yusif Basigi, the head coach of Ghana’s U20 women’s national team, the Black Princesses, is confident his team will play differently in their subsequent games at the ongoing 2023 African Games.
The team struggled and only secured a narrow 1-0 win over Ethiopia in their first match of the football tournament on Saturday night.
The lone goal came in the second half when Comfort Owusu capitalized on a rebound from Mukarama Abdulai's shot to secure the win.
The match at the Cape Coast Stadium was not without its share of drama, as a blackout caused a 30-minute delay, drawing attention to Ghana's power issues.
Coach Basigi praised Ethiopia's resilience, recognizing their quality as formidable opponents.
He stated, "Ethiopia that I know, they are not a bad side so I anticipated that we will have a tough match and I’m not surprised we struggled to beat them."
“This is our first game and I know the subsequent matches is going to be different.”
Despite the victory, Ghana faced challenges of their own, ending the game with 10 players after Abiba Issah's dismissal in the 89th minute.
Looking ahead, Basigi emphasized the need to adapt for future matches, with Tanzania next on their schedule at the Cape Coast Stadium on Tuesday, March 12.