The Black Starlets‘ hopes of returning to the next edition of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations were dashed on Saturday as they lost to Burkina Faso.
Ghana fell 2-1 to the Stallions at the University of Ghana Stadium, exiting the WAFU B U-17 Africa Cup of Nations at the semifinal stage.
Joseph Narbi equalized in the first half after Burkina Faso took the lead, but Ghana couldn’t find another goal as Asharaf Tapsoba netted a brace.
A defensive mix-up between goalkeeper Michale Armah and a defender led to Tapsoba’s first goal, as he took advantage of the error to score into an empty net.
Despite Ghana’s efforts to equalize, they were unable to capitalize on their chances. Narbi scored Ghana’s only goal with a curled effort into the top right corner.
Burkina Faso regained the lead early in the second half, with Tapsoba scoring his second goal by running between Ghana’s center-backs and hitting a low strike past Armah.
Ghana tried to find another equalizer but struggled to break through Burkina Faso’s defense. The match ended 2-1 in favor of Burkina Faso, ending Ghana’s hopes of qualifying for the next U-17 AFCON.