Head coach of the Black Maidens, Evans Adotey in an interview with FIFA.com revealed ‘the master plan’ that makes his side such a formidable outfit.

The Black Maidens made it three wins in three games at the FIFA World Cup to top the group and set up a quarter final showdown with Mexico on Sunday.

The master tactician is on familiar ground, a veteran of three previous U-17 women’s world finals campaigns. An assistant coach at Azerbaijan 2012, he took full command at Costa Rica 2014 and Jordan 2016. The performances his latest batch of troops have produced in South America, however, have brought him a new level of satisfaction.

“This is my fourth World Cup experience and it’s been by far the best one for me because we’re pursuing our gameplan with ease and recording emphatic wins,”

The former Medeama SC coach leaves nothing to chance and has a strong work ethic, an approach that is bearing fruit. “Using the resources available, I worked very hard to find players. I travelled backwards and forwards across Ghana for several months and drew up an initial list of 67 players, which I then brought down to 21 for the World Cup,” he explained.

“I knew exactly what I wanted for my system and I took great care in identifying only the very best attributes, paying special attention to non-technical aspects. The mental side of things and attitude were fundamental criteria when it came to picking my squad.”

That detailed approach is reflected in the Black Maidens’ team spirit. When the Africans take to the field, their discipline and fighting qualities are there for all to see, not least when they camp out on the opposition box, upping the intensity to pen their rivals in.

“Their physical fitness is the result of a lot of hard work,” said Adotey. “During our long preparations I made them do the Cooper test every week,” he added. “It involves running the longest possible distance in 12 minutes. If their performances didn’t improve from one week to the next, then I didn't let them get away with anything.”

The Black Maidens have scored ten goals in three games, with captain Mukarama Abdulai having six of those.