Black Queens coach Kim Lars Björkegren has expressed general satisfaction with his team, noting steady progress in their performance.

He added that his positive assessment was shared by others within and outside the squad.

The Swedish coach spoke following Ghana’s 2-0 defeat to England’s Lionesses in an international friendly, held on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at St. Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, UK.

Despite the loss, the Black Queens put up a strong fight, a performance acknowledged even by their opponents.

Looking ahead, Lars Björkegren said his focus was on the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2026 in Morocco.

He expressed confidence in his squad and highlighted efforts to maintain a balanced mix of local and international players.

"It's almost five months or so to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations so of course we need to watch some players. We are very happy with our squad right now. We are feeling that for every camp we are moving in the right direction. We are doing better and better and better and I think that almost all people can see that as well. We are taking good steps. But we always want to be better so we are going to take a look at the details, what can we improve, what can we do better in a football way. But also like I said to watch players both in Ghana in the local market and also abroad," the Black Queens coach said.

In the post-match interview, Lars Björkegren further appraised the team, sharing his hopes for both the squad as a whole and the newcomers in particular.

"We saw Abigail Kim came in, and then we have Mary Amponsah who didn’t play today but she is young, really a good player. Give her one, two years and she will be there as well. But of course, you always want to ask for a little bit more. Sometimes we need a little bit more punch. We know that our strength in this team is that we have a hardworking group – a group without any big weaknesses, I will say. You can see it in the opposite way that we don’t have this massive world class player but at the same time, like I said our strength is our depth," he said.

Regarding the defeat at St. Mary’s, he noted that the result was not surprising given the Lionesses’ strong reputation. However, he emphasised that the Black Queens delivered an impressive performance as underdogs, leaving him proud of the team.

"As a coach you always want to win, of course, but at the same time, we need to have in our mind that right now we are 67 in the ranking and we played against England that is potentially right now the best team in the world, and we did it in an away game. We were standing up; we were fighting for 90 minutes, and I think that we can be really proud how we performed in the game; how hard the girls worked, and overall, I am really happy," Lars Björkegren remarked.

The head coach also praised the team’s goalkeeper, highlighting her strengths and noting that she would be an asset to any international team that successfully signed her. Cynthia Konlan Findib’s heroics contributed to making Tuesday's game difficult for England, as they had aimed to render Ghana helpless under a heap of goals.

"We heard actually that no one really has picked her yet. I know that there had been interest from both England and US. I mean we are talking about a quality goalkeeper, she is young, she is tall, she is really fast, she really moves quick and, she is an amazing girl. I think at least now someone should offer her a good contract," the coach said.