U-20 Women's World Cup: It would mean everything to play in the knockout stage for the first time - Black Princesses defender Alexandra Tay

Ghana defender Alexandra Tay says reaching the knockout stage of the U-20 Women's World Cup for the first time would mean "everything" to the Black Princesses.

Ghana began their Group C campaign with a disappointing 3-0 defeat by Ecuador before recovering with a 3-1 victory over South Korea.

The Black Princesses now need a win against France in their final group match to secure a place in the last 16 for the first time in their history.

Ghana have featured at every edition of the tournament since 2008 but have never progressed beyond the group stage.

"It would mean everything [to reach the Round of 16 for the first time]," Tay told FIFA.

"We have a lot of people from our federation who have come to support us and we know that they are expecting that from us.

"I think this is a group that is hungry to do that. It's been 16 years that we've been in this competition and we haven't done it, and it's something that we're looking to do now."

Tay says positive communication within the squad has helped the team recover from their opening defeat.

"The team culture has always been really strong," she said.

"From our coaches, the mantra is communication always, but it's positive communication and it's never negative communication.

"We know how to be constructive as well. We try to encourage each other and lift each other up."

Ghana face France at Arena Sosnowiec, with kick-off scheduled for 16:00 GMT.