Sakina Ouzraoui’s late strike earned Morocco a 1-0 win over Ghana’s Black Queens at the Pere Jego Stadium on Friday.
Björkegren’s first assignment as Head Coach of the Queens came with a tough clash against one of the continent’s best.
With the likes of Evelyn Badu, Adama Alhassan, and Gifty Assifuah missing out on the starting lineup, the Queens approached the game with a defensive plan to stop Morocco’s dangerous attack.
The visitors found themselves in an uncomfortable state as the Atlas Lionesses kept mounting pressure to break the deadlock.
Doris Boaduwaa despite missing her partnership with Badu responded with some impressive runs upfront, keeping the Moroccan defense busy on the day.
A barren first 45 minutes came to an end as Morocco stayed the better side.
The home team got back into the second half as wounded Lionesses who needed revenge against the West African giants.
Sherifatu Sumaila missed Ghana’s first golden opportunity in the 67th minute, failing to slot in a one-on-one encounter with the goalkeeper.
Ghana’s shot-stopper Cynthia Findib also came to the rescue with some back-to-back saves to keep the Queens in the game.
Ouzraoui broke the virginity of the game with a late strike outside the 18-yard box to give her side the lead.
A full 90-minutes of exciting play ended with Björkegren tasting his first defeat against Morocco.
GNA
