Satellites managed to claw some pride
The year 2013 cannot pass without the exploits of the Black Satellites at the last U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The Satellites emerged bronze medalists in a competition that saw Spain and Portugal make the strongest and one of the most sensational bids in a tournament renowned for producing most of the world’s famed and fabled talents such as Diego Maradona, Luis Figo, Lionnel Messi and a host of others.
Spain, with a great array of young talents, including Gerard Deulofeu, now with Everton, had their ambitions truncated by France who proceeded from the quarter-finals stage to win the ultimate.
Even though Turkey 2013 lacked the huge presence of the crowds, FIFA described the overall, tournament “ as tight and evenly-matched due to some notable absentees. Argentina, the most successful nation at this age group, holders Brazil, and European heavyweights Germany, Italy and the Netherlands who failed to qualify”.
In a tournament that saw 33 of the 52 matches either ending in a stalemate after 90 minutes or with the sides only a single goal apart, FIFA concluded that “The coaching staff of the various teams encouraged their players to put on show some great football”.
The Black Satellites, champions of the 2009 edition began with a favourites status even though the generation of players were in sharp contrast with their 2009 predecessors in terms of depth and sparkle.
The new boys on stage-Clifford Aboagye, Ebenezer Assifuah, Richmond Boakye and Baba Abdulraman among others might not be as winsome as their seniors such as Andre Dede Ayew, Dominic Adiyiah, Jonathan Mensah and Ransford Osei. But in their all conquering form they managed to inspire some fear in their opponents with their strong winning mentality. They stumbled in their maiden outing in the Turkish city of Istanbul as they lost 0-3 to France in the openning game and subsequently lost their second game 0-1 to Spain.
With elimination dangerously beckoning them, the Satellites under the tutelage of Coach Sellas Tetteh, the man who guided the team to that historic World Cup feat in 2009 in Egypt , burst out with a strange winning spirit and beat USA 4-0 with Assifuah securing a braze while Boakye Yiadom and substitute Kennedy Ashia added to the rout. The Ghanaians qualified by the sheer arithmetics of the competition.
In the second round of the competition, the Ghanaians conjured magic against Portugal in a sensational 3-2 win as Boakye-Yiadom scored the winner from a freekick.
Frank Acheampong and Ashia had earlier put the Satellites ahead, before Bruma, in a thrilling comeback, pulled even for the Europeans.
The Satellites swept past Chile in a dramatic conquest that saw the Ghanaians secure their ticket to the semi-final.
But that was to be the end of the road for the Satellites who were finalists of the Africa Youth Championship staged earlier in Algeria. And France proved that nemesis when they handed the Satellites a 2-0 win at the semi-finals played the in Turkish city of Bursa.
The Satellites, however, secured a consolation in the third place game as they beat Iraq 3-0 through goals by Assifuah, Ashia and Emmanuel Larweh Attarma, to win bronze.
Assifuah, one of the key strikers of the Satellites won the Golden Boot award, while Aboagye secured the Fair Play Award.
