Ghana’s Black Princesses made a disappointing start to their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign after a 3-0 defeat to tournament debutants Ecuador in Poland.

The Black Princesses were dealt an early blow when Ecuador struck inside two minutes, putting Ghana on the back foot from the outset in their opening Group C fixture on Sunday.

Head coach Charles Sampson was without suspended centre-back Margaret Agyapomaa, who was sent off during Ghana’s final qualifying match against Uganda.

Ghana struggled to settle into the contest, finding it difficult to string together passes and create clear-cut chances against a composed Ecuador side.

Just as the Black Princesses began to grow into the game, Ecuador doubled their advantage moments before half-time, leaving Ghana with a mountain to climb after the break.

Any hopes of a comeback faded in the second half when the South Americans added a third goal 24 minutes after the restart to seal a convincing victory.

The defeat extends Ghana’s poor record in opening matches at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with the Black Princesses having managed just one win in their tournament openers since making their debut in 2010.

Ghana will now look to revive their Group C campaign against South Korea and France, who shared a 1-1 draw in the group’s other opening match.