Ghana’s U-17 side, the Black Starlets, showed resilience as they battled to a 1-1 draw against Togo in their opening WAFU B U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, despite playing almost the entire match with 10 men.
The game, played at the Charles Konnan Banny Stadium in Côte d’Ivoire, took a dramatic turn just three minutes in when Ghana were reduced to 10 men. But captain Joseph Narbi lifted his side’s spirits moments later, striking in the 9th minute to give the Starlets a surprise lead.
Togo, however, capitalised on their numerical advantage and pulled level to end the game 1 all. Despite relentless pressure, Ghana’s youngsters held firm, displaying grit and discipline to earn a hard-fought point.
The result leaves the Black Starlets with work to do in their next Group A games, but their spirited performance with a man down has drawn praise from fans who admired their determination and fighting spirit.
