U-17 Women's World Cup: Playing against Argentina could be tricky

Ghana coach Joe Nana Adarkwa expects a difficult challenge against Argentina but says the Black Maidens will approach their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Round of 16 clash with caution.

The two sides meet on Wednesday at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

Speaking to FIFA Media, Adarkwa acknowledged Argentina’s quality and stressed the need for his players to remain defensively disciplined in the knockout encounter.

“The game will be very, very, very tricky. They are a good side, and we are in the knockout phase, so we are going to be very cautious,” he said.

The Ghana coach also highlighted his team’s struggles to convert scoring opportunities despite creating several chances in the tournament.

“We have to take our chances because we are one of the teams in this tournament that have created a lot of chances, but how to convert them is another problem,” he added.

Adarkwa warned that Ghana must remain alert at the back to prevent Argentina from exploiting defensive weaknesses.

“We’re looking forward to it, but we have to be cautious in our back line so that they won’t catch us,” he said.

The Black Maidens have shown resilience to reach the knockout stage, recovering from a 3-0 defeat by Norway in their opening Group C match to draw 3-3 with Brazil before beating Canada 2-0 in their final group game.

Ghana finished second in the group to secure a place in the last 16, while Argentina advanced as unbeaten group winners.

The Black Maidens will now aim to build on their improved performances and secure a quarter-final place when the match kicks off at 15:00 GMT.