Ten-man Ghana pushed hard, but Alex Fousseni Bamba's 76th-minute strike sent Ivory Coast to the final and Morocco 2027.
West African youth football delivered another painful lesson in fine margins, as Ghana's Black Starlets saw their U17 Africa Cup of Nations dream slip away. A 1-0 semi-final loss to Ivory Coast at the 2026 WAFU Zone B U17 Championship ended Ghana's bid to reach the final and book a place at the 2027 tournament in Morocco.
The turning point came in the 17th minute. Defender Daniel Owusu was shown a straight red card for a tackle on an Ivorian striker that head coach Kassim Ocansey's side could have avoided, leaving Ghana with a mountain to climb for the remaining time.
To their credit, the Black Starlets refused to fold. They kept competing, carved out a number of openings and made life uncomfortable for their rivals, but the finishing touch never arrived. Ivory Coast stayed patient, and in the 76th minute Alex Fousseni Bamba pounced from close range to settle the contest.
Ocansey was left to reflect on what might have been. He felt Ghana were controlling the game before the dismissal and believed his team still had chances to win even with 10 men. Ivory Coast now move on to the final with their continental ticket secured, while Ghana head home with plenty of questions and a hard lesson about discipline at the highest youth level.
