Ghana has secured qualification to the semi-finals of the 2019 ESPN WAFU Cup of Nations tournament after defeating Burkina Faso 5-4 on penalties on Friday night.
Early dominance from the Black Stars B was thwarted by their counterpart from Burkina Faso when Ilina Teindrebeogo found the back of the net to give his side the lead after 3 minutes of play. He positioned himself very well in the 18-yard box and connected to an inviting cross from the right flanks.
Coach Maxwell Konadu urged on his lads from the touchline with some instructions that didn’t yield any fruits until the 37th minute. The Black Stars B finally made their efforts count by pulling parity through Shafiu Mumuni who headed home a sweet cross from his strike partner Joseph Esso.
A pulsating first half eventually ended 1-1 with the defending champions exhibiting their intention to repeating their triumph from last 2 years.
The second half provided similar action from the first 45 minutes but some pieces of good defending from the Burkinabe’s prevented a well-oiled Ghanaian side from getting on the scoresheet again.
The Black Stars B finally emerged victorious after beating their opponent 5-4 on penalties to ensure they keep their hopes of defending the title they won on home soil 2 years ago alive.