Alidu Issah double fires Black Starlets into WAFU B semi-finals
Ghana's Black Starlets are through to the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship with a game to spare, after beating Benin 3-1 in Ouagadougou on Tuesday.
Alidu Issah's early double
Kassim Ocansey's side made a blistering start. Striker Alidu Issah scored twice in the opening eight minutes, the first in the fourth minute and the second four minutes later, to give Ghana early control, according to the GFA and The Ghana Report. He was named Player of the Match.
Benin fought their way back into the contest and pulled a goal back to make it 2-1. But Ghana restored their two-goal cushion late on when Nii Odoi Tawiah finished after being set up by Prince Apam.
Perfect so far
The win followed a 1-0 victory over Togo in Ghana's opening game, and leaves the Starlets top of Group A with six points from two matches, according to the Ghana Eye Report. That guarantees a semi-final place regardless of their final group result.
Ghana close the group stage against hosts Burkina Faso on Friday, October 16.
What is at stake
The WAFU Zone B Championship doubles as the qualifying tournament for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, so the Starlets' progress keeps them on course for a place at the continental finals.
It completes a positive week for Ghana's national teams, coming on the same day the Black Queens beat Mauritius 7-0 to reach the third round of Olympic qualifying.
Photo: kyselak / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0