Honestly, Kim Lars Björkegren isn’t losing sleep over that 2-0 loss to South Africa. Yeah, the Black Queens got stung by the reigning champs in their first Group C game at WAFCON 2024, but the guy’s keeping his chin up.
Ghana actually started off looking sharp had some real bite in their play. But then, boom, Linda Motlhalo snags a penalty (outta nowhere, if you ask Björkegren) and Jermaine Seoposenwe snuck in another before halftime. And just like that, South Africa’s party started rolling.
Not that Ghana didn’t have their moments. They rattled the crossbar twice, for crying out loud. The ball just didn’t want to go in. Typical football heartbreak.
After everything, Björkegren wasn’t exactly throwing his team under the bus. Far from it. “For the first half hour? We were bossing it,” he said. That penalty? Total sucker punch. And conceding a quick second? Yeah, that stings. He admitted the focus slipped for a sec. Happens to the best.
Still, he’s got faith. “Honestly, I think the performance was pretty good,” he said. “We knew we were up against the top dogs. Probably the hardest game we’ll play.” He’s not wrong.
He’s backing his squad to bounce back: “Loads of positives. We’ll carry that into the next two games. I’m pretty sure we’re making the playoffs and that’s the real goal.” A little disappointed with the scoreline, sure, but not how his team played. Fair enough.
Next up? Mali. Then Tanzania to close out the group. The Black Queens still have plenty of fight left in them.