Ghana’s Black Starlets suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Senegal in their second Group D fixture at the ongoing 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Sunday evening.
After settling for a 2-2 draw against Algeria in their opening game, the Starlets were hoping to secure their first victory of the tournament but endured another frustrating outing.
Ghana made a bright start and thought they had taken an early lead in the 8th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out following a VAR review.
Senegal’s task became more difficult just before halftime when El Hadji Sow was sent off in the 42nd minute after receiving a second yellow card. However, the Black Starlets failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage as Isaac Barfo missed a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time.
Despite playing with 10 men, Senegal grabbed the decisive goal in the 57th minute through Ibrahima Dione, who finished calmly to hand the former champions the lead.
Ghana pushed forward in search of an equaliser in the closing stages but struggled to break down Senegal’s resilient defence.
The defeat leaves the Black Starlets bottom of Group D with just one point from two matches. Ghana will now face South Africa in their final group game on Wednesday, May 20, needing a positive result to keep their hopes alive.
