Starlets make a winning start in U-17 AFCON (VIDEO)
Ghana's Under-17 male football team, the Black Starlets began their campaign to win this year’s African Championship with an emphatic 4-0 win over rivals, Cameroun as the competition being staged in Gabon opened yesterday.
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Braces from Eric Ayiah and Ibrahim Sulley, who scored two goals within two minutes, ensured that the Starlets’ dream of picking a ticket to the Under-17 World Cup in India later in the year, got off to a sound start.
On two occasions, the Starlets scored twice within two minutes to give themselves the comfortable win they need ahead if their remaining Group A games.
Having missed out in the two previous tournaments, Coach Paa Kwesi Fabin and his charges went to Gabon with the mission of making up for the lost times and though they anticipated a cagey encounter against Cameroun, they were confident of sailing through.
Watch highlights of the Black Starlets goals below;
Indeed, any anxiety they had ahead of the game gave way to confidence as Captain Ayiah opened the scoring for the Ghanaians on the 32nd minute and hardly had the Camerounians got over that slip when Sulley gave them a 3-0 lead with goals on the 33rd and 34th minutes.
When the second half resumed, it was the Starlets who probed for more goals, capitalising on the nervousness of the Camerounians and Ayiah left no one in doubt about his side’s mission in Gabon with his brace and the fourth for the team on the 66th minute.
Despite the win, the Starlets lie second to Guinea on the Group A log as the Guineans walloped hosts Gabon 5-1 in the opening game. However, the Starlets could wrap up their qualification for the semi-finals if they are able to beat Gabon in their second game to be played on Wednesday.
Ghana: Danladi Ibrahim, Osman Faisal Abdul Razak Yusif, Najeeb Yakubu, Edmund Arko-Mensah, Rashid, Mohammed Iddris, Emmanuel Toku, Gabriel Leveh Ibrahim Sulley and Eric Ayiah