Ghana coach Yussif Basigi remains optimistic about the Black Princesses' chances of progressing to the next round of the U-20 Women's World Cup, despite losing their opening match.
Basigi believes his team can bounce back in their second game against Japan after a 2-1 defeat to debutants Austria on Monday night in Bogotá.
Ghana has not progressed past the group stage in their last six attempts, but the loss hasn't shaken Basigi's confidence.
"We started the game slowly, but towards the end of the first half, we began to raise our game. In the second half, we dominated play, even though we were down by a goal," Basigi said.
"We didn’t utilize many of our goal-scoring chances, which was unfortunate. This is something we need to improve on to get back into contention."
Reflecting on the match, he added, "The second-half performance was very good. If we had started the first half like we did in the second half, it would have been super, but we started slowly."
Acknowledging the pressure to perform, Basigi remains motivated and focused on making the most of their remaining games.
"There is pressure, especially since a win or draw against Austria would have given us motivation. Now, we have no option but to go all out in the remaining two games."
Black Princesses will face Japan in their second Group E game on Thursday, September 5, 2024.