Charles Sampson says Black Princesses lacked calmness in front of goal against South Africa

Ghana U20 head coach Charles Sampson has admitted that his side’s hesitancy in the final third cost them crucial goals in their 2-2 draw with South Africa at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The result, in the third round of the 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, saw the Black Princesses twice take the lead only to see it slip away.

Only Agnes Yeboah and Linda Owusu Ansah found the net despite several chances created, while a late goal for Ghana was controversially disallowed for offside.

Sampson attributed the team’s inefficiency to a lack of composure in front of goal.

“Our aim was to win this game. Our aim was to get goals. We dominated the game which was also one of our plans,” Sampson said.

“We created chances, but I think what we lacked was the calmness to convert the chances into goals. We scored the third goal that I think was questionable [to disallow] because we played the ball to the line, and we cut it inside.”

The Black Princesses now face a must-win return leg in South Africa to progress to the final qualifying round, where they could meet either Zambia or Uganda.

Send your news stories to [email protected] and via WhatsApp on +233 546310076.

Read Full Story