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Ghana came back to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 to win the WAFU B Under-20 Championship trophy at Stade Charles De Gaulles in Porto Novo on Sunday.
Set pieces specialist Percious Boah was the Black Satellites’ hero, setting up a goal before shooting the winner of a free kick to hand his country the title in the Benin capital.
It was his second free-kick goal of the tournament that also serves as qualifiers for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Total, Mauritania 2021.
Ghana started brilliantly by dominating the early exchanges, but it was the Burkinabe who broke the deadlock in the 15th minute when Kouame Botue found himself between two defenders in the box. The impressive Burkinabe midfielder stopped a defender before shooting on Ghanaian goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad for the first goal.
The Stallions then took over the game, as the Ghanaians struggled to contain the midfield duo of Botue and Yael Tiendrebeogo, who combined effectively with their bag of tricks.
Moments later, Tiendrebeogo teamed up again with Botue who dribbled to two defenders before squaring a pass to the latter who pulled the trigger in the box, but Danlad was smart in getting out of line and blocking the beam and preventing the Burkinabe from expanding their advantage.
The Ghanaians then regained their composure and, against the progress of the game, created a moment of anxiety for their opponents that resulted in a foul on the edge of the Stallions area.
Boah tricked the Stallions into thinking he was shooting straight into goal, but set up his captain Daniel Afriyie Barnieh for a one-on-one situation with Sidi Diawara, and the midfielder came in from a tight angle and past the goalkeeper for the equalizer. .
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The Burkinabe suffered a severe blow just before half-time when playmaker Tiendrebeogo was replaced by Yves Ouedraogo with what appeared to be an injury to the creative midfielder.
The midfielder’s departure stripped the Stallions of their attacking creativity after the break and allowed the Ghanaians to gain confidence and put pressure on their opponents.
Boah stepped forward to take a free kick near the edge of Burkina Faso’s box in the 78th minute, and fired a bolt that skimmed under the crossbar before landing beyond the line.
There was a small outcry from the Young Stallions, but the referee whistled for a goal to seal the Black Satellites’ comeback victory.
Despite the Ghanaians’ victory, Burkina Faso midfielder Botue swept all individual awards by being named Best Player of the Tournament and added the Top Scorer Award for scoring three goals in the tournament.
The two teams will represent WAFU B at the Total U-10 AFCON in Mauritania next February, and they hope to excel in the tournament that will see some of the best U20 teams on the continent.
