While the scoreline favoured the defending champions, the Black Queens created several promising chances and demonstrated a fighting spirit that has given fans hope for the rest of the tournament.
The match saw South Africa take control with clinical finishes from Jermaine Seoposenwe and Linda Motlhalo, capitalising on their experience and composure.
However, Ghana’s attacking efforts, led by Doris Boaduwaa, Alise Kusi, and Evelyn Badu, tested South Africa’s goalkeeper Andile Dlamini, with shots hitting the bar and close-range saves denying the Queens an equaliser.
Bjorkegren, reflecting on the game, expressed measured disappointment with the result but praised his team’s performance and growth.
“Of course, I’m a little bit disappointed with the result, but not so disappointed with the performance,” he said. “It was going to be a close game, and I think we showed we can compete at this level.”
“I’m really happy with the start of the game for us. I think we were a better team the first half hour until the penalty game. It came a little bit from nowhere.
"After that, we gave them the opportunity to score another one. That's the problem a little bit when we lose the concentration, then we give it away too much. But otherwise, I think the performance is good,” he added.
Bjorkegren emphasised the progress made in the lead-up to the tournament: “This team has been growing a lot physically and tactically over the last month. The players are better prepared than they were before, and I’m confident we have the quality to beat any team in this group and the tournament.”
Despite Ghana currently sitting bottom of Group C, the Swedish coach remains optimistic about their chances.
“We played against the previous champions. So maybe the potential, the toughest game that you can play in this tournament.
"I think we did many, many good things. If we take the good things with us into the next two, then I'm pretty sure that we're going to make the playoff and that's most important."
The Black Queens will regroup and return to action against Mali on Thursday before facing Tanzania three days later.
