The Black Starlets’ head coach, Laryea Kingston, emphasised that the team’s main goal is to make it to the 2025 U-17 AFCON after missing out on the previous two.
The Black Starlets defeated Benin resoundingly in their final group match of the present WAFU Zone B Under-17 Championship, which took place on Tuesday, May 22, 2024, at the University of Ghana Stadium.
Mark Mensah Kagawa opened the scoring for the Starlets, and Theophilus Ayamga extended the lead with a spectacular finish following a 27-pass play. The squad went into halftime with a promising 2-0 lead, hinting at more goals in the second half.
Despite earning several free kicks in the latter half, Ghana couldn’t convert these opportunities, leaving supporters craving more. While Benin attempted to narrow the deficit, the Black Starlets sustained their aggressive offensive until the final whistle.
During the post-game press conference, the former Black Stars player expressed his immense satisfaction at the prospect of guiding the team to qualification for the 2025 AFCON.
“Since 2017 Ghanaians have not seen the good team that previously we enjoyed most from 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 that we lost this team. So if we are able to qualify this team I think it’s amazing, for me I would be much much happier than anything else in the world,” Kingston said.
“Because I know Ghanaians are craving for this I know Ghanaians have worked so hard, they put a lot of things in place for us to get there but it’s been very difficult because other countries are also developing but I think we are in the right direction, we can give it a day at a time, now we are in the semis, any team that they put in front of us, myself and my technical team will sit down and have a game against them I believe it’s on Saturday, we will be ready to face any opponent that comes to us.”
Ghana’s next game will see them face the second-placed team in Group B in the semifinal on Saturday.
