Black Queens Head Coach Nora Hauptle believes her captain, Portia Boakye, should not have been sent off following a last-ditch tackle.

The match saw the Ghana women’s national team hold Japan to a goalless draw in the first half before conceding four goals in the second half, primarily from set pieces.

According to Hauptle, the team’s video analysis from the bench indicated that Boakye’s tackle should have resulted in a yellow card instead.

Hauptle argued that Boakye was providing defensive support, which, according to the rules, typically merits a cautionary yellow card.

“It’s the red card. The red card changed the game. In our perception on the video from the bench, it was a yellow card and not a red card because our player was there to support the defense, and according to the rules, it’s usually a yellow card.

“But then we needed to take it from there. I think afterward, we had a quick Plan B ready. So we switched to a 4-4-1.”