Adarkwa Promises Aggressive Approach Against Argentina

Ghana’s U-17 women’s national team coach, Joe Nana Adarkwa, says his side will adopt a more attacking strategy as the Black Maidens prepare to face Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The crucial encounter is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, with both teams competing for a place in the quarter-finals.

Ghana approach the knockout fixture with growing confidence after recovering from an opening defeat to Norway to secure qualification from Group C.

The Black Maidens began their campaign with a 3-0 loss to Norway before holding Brazil to an entertaining 3-3 draw. They subsequently defeated Canada 2-0 to finish second in the group with four points.

Substitutes Linda Achiaa and Christiana Ashiaku were instrumental in the victory over Canada. Achiaa scored less than a minute after entering the game, while Ashiaku added the second goal during stoppage time.

Adarkwa believes the performance against Brazil offers valuable lessons for the upcoming contest against Argentina, another South American opponent.

Speaking to FIFA, the coach indicated that Ghana would increase the intensity of their attacking play and put greater pressure on their opponents.

He explained that his technical team had observed similarities between Argentina’s style and that of Brazil, making the experience gained from the group-stage encounter particularly useful.

However, Adarkwa stressed that the knockout format requires a different level of concentration and determination, as any defeat would end Ghana’s participation in the tournament.

He said the team intended to maintain its attacking ambition throughout the match while approaching the contest with the right mentality.

Argentina, meanwhile, enter the fixture with an impressive attacking record, having scored nine goals during the group stage. Their campaign included a commanding 5-1 victory over hosts Morocco and a 2-0 win against New Zealand.

One of Ghana’s major concerns will be Argentina forward Mercedes Diz, who scored in all three group matches and finished that stage with six goals, including a hat-trick against Morocco.

Adarkwa said his technical team would analyse footage of the forward to identify ways of restricting her influence during the encounter.

The Ghana coach also highlighted the need for his players to improve their finishing, noting that the team had created numerous scoring opportunities but had not always converted them.

He emphasised that taking chances in front of goal and remaining organised defensively would be essential to securing qualification.

Ghana will also draw inspiration from their previous performances at the U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Black Maidens won bronze at the competition’s inaugural edition in 2012 and reached the quarter-finals in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

After missing the last two editions, Ghana have returned to the global stage with ambitions of making a strong impression.

A victory over Argentina would secure another quarter-final appearance and strengthen the team’s hopes of achieving a memorable campaign in Morocco.

Benz_GH feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com