Black Queens reach WAFCON quarter-finals after hard-fought draw with Mali
Evelyn Badu’s goal helps Ghana secure a place in the last eight.
Black Queens' head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has commended his captain, Portia Boakye, referring to her as his "extra arm" both on and off the field after Ghana's qualification for the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The Swedish coach attributes much of the team's progress in the tournament to Boakye's leadership, which stems from her ability to communicate effectively with the players and lead by example on the pitch.
"She means so much. She's like the extra arm for me, really helpful. Sometimes I don't need to say too much. She can do it for me," Björkegren stated. The coach also highlighted Boakye's exceptional work rate and mental toughness, describing her fighting spirit as something infectious within the Black Queens squad. "But also, the most important is how she's leading on the pitch with her fighting spirit.
I mean, she's brutal. I mean, she really puts her body there. And she's a real fighter," he added. Boakye's influence is evident in the team's respect for her, demonstrated when she was named Player of the Match in a group game. "And the way she's playing, of course, everybody needs to respect her and everybody does. And as you said, you can see when she is the player of the match that everybody is so happy for her because it's so well deserved," concluded Björkegren.
Ghana is now one win away from advancing to the quarterfinals of the WAFCON and qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Written by urgent.news from Ghanaian Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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