Interim Black Stars head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has challenged his players to build on their impressive second-half performance after Ghana defeated Somalia 2-0 in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Black Stars secured their first victory of the qualifying campaign at the Essipong Sports Stadium on Thursday, with Jonas Adjei Adjetey and Felix Afena-Gyan finding the net to hand the Swedish tactician a winning start to his tenure.
After a relatively subdued first half, Ghana stepped up the tempo after the restart, creating a host of scoring opportunities and dominating proceedings as they comfortably saw out the contest.
Speaking after the match, Björkegren praised his side’s increased intensity and attacking approach, believing it was the key to securing all three points.
“It’s football; you never know what will happen in Monday’s game. Based on how we played in the second half, we raised our intensity, entertained the fans and created good chances,” he said.
The victory not only revived Ghana’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 AFCON but also ended the Black Stars’ eight-match winless run in AFCON qualifiers, stretching back to the previous qualifying campaign.
Björkegren will now shift his focus to Monday’s reverse fixture against Somalia, where another victory would significantly strengthen Ghana’s chances of climbing the Group C standings and maintaining momentum in the race for a place at the tournament in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The Black Stars will be aiming to replicate their dominant second-half display as they seek back-to-back wins and continue their resurgence under the interim coach.
