Ghana’s U-17 men’s team, the Black Starlets, have once again missed out on qualifying for the 2025 U-17 African Cup of Nations after Burkina Faso defeated them in the semi-final of the WAFU Zone B tournament held in Ghana.
It was a tough contest between both teams, as Ghana’s attempt for revenge failed after Burkina in 2022 beat Ghana to prevent them from qualifying for the AFCON.
The Stallions took the lead at the University of Ghana Stadium, in the early part of the start through Asharaf Tapsoba, who capitalized on a miscommunication between Ghana’s defender and goalkeeper Michael Armah.
But Joseph Narbi scored a sublime curler in the 27th minute to give his side the equalizer.
After the coming level, the Starlets kept control of the game, pushing the Burkinabes into their half but failed to take the lead before the end of the first 45 minutes.
Three minutes after the break, Asharaf Tapsoba put Burkina ahead again following a loss of concentration from Laryea Kingston’s men.
With the home support, Ghana kept pushing for the equalizer again but could not do much in the final third as Burkina had held their defensive line to hold on to the lead.
After the end of 90 minutes, the Burkinabe had qualified for the final with a 2-1 win over Ghana.
