Ten-man Black Starlets miss U-17 AFCON after Côte d'Ivoire defeat
Ghana's Black Starlets will not be at the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations. Kassim Ocansey's side were beaten 1-0 by Côte d'Ivoire in the semi-finals of the WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, after playing most of the match with ten men.
An early blow
The game turned in the 17th minute, when Daniel Owusu was sent off, according to 3News and Africa Top Sports. Ocansey was forced to reshape his side, and for a long time it looked as though the Starlets might hold on.
Ghana went in level at 0-0 at half-time and continued to compete, creating chances despite being a man down, GhanaSoccernet reported. But Côte d'Ivoire finally broke through in the 77th minute to score the only goal of the game, Adomonline said.
A cruel end to a strong campaign
The defeat was a harsh end to a tournament that had started well. The Starlets went through the group stage unbeaten, beating Togo 1-0 and Benin 3-1 before drawing 0-0 with hosts Burkina Faso to top Group A with seven points.
Ocansey had stressed before the game that the semi-final mattered more than the final, because both finalists qualify for the continental tournament. GhanaSoccernet reported that he described the defeat as particularly painful given his side had been reduced to ten men.
What it means
Côte d'Ivoire advance to the final and secure their place at the U-17 AFCON in Morocco next year. Ghana's wait for a return to the U-17 World Cup goes on. According to Africa Top Sports, the Black Starlets last appeared at the global tournament in 2017.
The result is a setback after an encouraging week for Ghana's national teams, which saw the Black Queens reach the third round of Olympic qualifying and the Black Stars name an interim technical team for November.
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