Black Princesses coach Charles Sampson says Ghana must beat France in their final group game to secure qualification for the knockout stages of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
Ghana revived their hopes of progressing with a 3-1 victory over South Korea on Wednesday, following their disappointing opening defeat.
However, Sampson insists the result has not changed the team’s objective, with victory against France now essential to keep their campaign alive.
“Nothing has changed. After losing the first game, we knew that we had to win the next two games to be able to qualify,” Sampson told 3Sports.
The Ghana coach is also confident his side can cope with any injury setbacks, stressing that the squad’s strength lies in its collective effort rather than individual players.
“Unfortunately, when it comes to injuries and things, there are things that can go wrong. You just pray and hope that they don’t come your way,” he said.
“This group has been challenged with many different things, and that’s one thing that is our strength. The team is not based on one person’s performance.”
Sampson added that Ghana would find solutions should further injuries occur, although he hopes the squad can remain fit for the remainder of the tournament.
“One way or the other, we’ll find a way. But we hope that this time in the World Cup, any upsets won’t come out.”
Sampson says his technical team has already studied France and identified areas they believe Ghana can exploit.
“We have already seen them play. So now we are preparing ourselves to focus on areas to be able to beat them and then qualify for the next game,” he said.
The Black Princesses will face France on Saturday, 12 September at the Arena Sosnowiec in Poland.
Kick-off is at 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT), with Ghana needing another victory to advance to the next stage of the competition.
