2024 U20 Women’s WC: Black Princesses ‘serious contenders’ to win against Japan – Yussif Basigi

The Black Princesses aim to boost their chances of progressing from the group stage of the 2024 U20 Women’s World Cup when they face Japan Thursday night at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Colombia.

Ghana’s U20 women’s national team fell 2-1 to Austria in their Group E opener on Monday, while Japan secured a 7-0 victory over New Zealand.

Despite the challenge, Black Princesses’ coach Yussif Basigi remains confident. He does not expect a defeat against the tournament favorites, who clinched the title in 2018.

“We’ve taken the pain to psych the players up, to put the game behind them, and look forward to the next game.

“Many will see us as underdogs because the Japanese won massively. We see ourselves as serious contenders.

“We’ve made them understand that a defeat will not be good for us. Not at all.”

Ghana has not advanced past the group stage in six previous attempts at the U20 Women’s World Cup.

In the other Group E fixture, Austria will play New Zealand at 1 a.m. on Friday.