Ghana's hopes of making it to the quarter-finals now hang by a thread after losing 2-0 to Japan at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto on Sunday.
Two penalties from Maika Hamano in the second half got the job done for the Asians.
The Black Princesses came into the game on the back of a 3-0 defeat at the hands of USA and needed a positive result against Japan who had beaten Netherlands 1-0 in their opener.
But the Ghanaians struggled throughout, failing to trouble the opposition goalkeeper for most parts of the game whilst Japan dominated possession.
They did however keep the game scoreless in the first half. But in the second, Japan found their way through right after the hour mark following a penalty decision.
Hamano stepped up and finished expertly from 12 yards. She got a similar opportunity in the 72nd minute and made no mistake.
Ghana will now hope that the USA lose to the Netherlands in their next game to stand any chance of qualifying.
By Bill Eshun|3Sports|Ghana