Ghana finish 4th in WAFU Zone B U17 Championship; Burkina Faso claim title
The National Under-17 team, the Black Starlets, finished 4th in the WAFU Zone B Under-17 Championship after fallen to Nigeria in the 3rd place playoff on Tuesday.
The Black Starlets were aiming to pick the bronze medal in the championship against the Golden Eaglets but a late strike from Abdulmuiz Adeleke gave Nigeria a 3-2 win.
The Golden Eaglets had taken an early lead in the game but defender Harve Ghafa, who eventually emerged Player of the Match, restored parity for Ghana on the 19th minute.
Gbafa again tapped home a beautiful finish from a free kick ten minutes after his equalizer to put Ghana in the lead.
With five minutes to the break, Nigeria fought back to draw level.
The second half of the game was keenly contested and just as the game was heading towards penalty kicks to decide the winner, Nigeria’s Adeleke grabbed the winner with a sleek finish with just a minute to end proceedings.
The Black Starlets’ dream of picking at least the bronze medal in the competition was dashed following the defeat to Nigeria.
Burkina Faso defeated Côte d’Ivoire 3-1 in the final to claim the title.
Both teams had already secured qualification to the U-17 AFCON by virtue of reaching the final, but the bragging rights of being called zonal champions was at stake.
An exciting first half saw the Ivorians cancel out the Burkinabe one goal lead, as both teams went into the break level at 1-1.
Two fine goals in the second half, sealed the 3-1 win for Burkina Faso, who reached the final after edging hosts Ghana in the semis.
