Ghana had to settle for fourth place in the 2024 WAFU Zone B U17 Championship after losing to rivals Nigeria in the third/fourth-place playoffs.
The Black Starlets suffered a disappointing 2-3 defeat at the hands of Nigeria at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium on Tuesday.
Having lost head coach Laryea Kingston, who resigned after their semi-final defeat to Burkina Faso, assistant manager Nana Agyemang took charge of the game against Nigeria.
The first half of the game was action-packed, with both teams heading into the break level on terms after a 2-2 stalemate.
The Golden Eaglets struck first in the ninth minute when Imrana Muhammed directed his rebound into the net after Ghana’s goalkeeper failed to contain a cross.
The Black Starlets, however, seized control after falling behind and their pressure would ultimately pay off when Herve Garfa restored parity a few minutes later.
Ghana went ahead for the first time in the game in the 28th minute, with Garfa scoring his second goal of the day with a brilliant flick from a right-hand cross.
Nana Agyemang’s side, however, could not protect their lead and were pegged back with five minutes to the end of the first half when Abdulmuiz Adeleke rose highest to power his header into the net.
Despite both teams carving out some decent chances in the second half, it was Nigeria who had the last laugh after Adeleke snatched the winner deep into added time.
The lanky forward, who has earned comparisons with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, carried the ball from midfield and hit a shot that ricocheted off the bar, before collecting a pass on the edge of the box to silence the hosts.
Meanwhile, both Ghana and Nigeria may yet qualify for the U17 AFCON due to an expansion of the tournament but it remains to be seen how many extra slots CAF will allot to the West African region.
Pulse
