Ghana’s U-20 team, the Black Satellites, saw their hopes of qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile dashed after a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Egypt on Monday at the New Suez Stadium.
Desmond Ofei’s side entered the quarterfinal clash full of confidence, having topped Group C with seven points and an unbeaten record.
Expectations were high as the team looked to book a spot in the semifinals and revive their World Cup dream.
CD Lugo forward Jerry Afriyie returned to the starting lineup, adding firepower to the attack. Despite dominating possession early in the match, Ghana found it difficult to penetrate Egypt’s resilient defense.
The Young Pharaohs took the lead in the 19th minute, capitalising on a mix-up between defender Dacosta Antwi and goalkeeper Gidios Aseako, allowing Momen Sherif to slot home. The Al-Ittihad Alexandria striker doubled Egypt’s lead just nine minutes later with a brilliant solo run past three defenders.
Ghana responded with urgency, pushing for a comeback. Their efforts paid off in first-half stoppage time when Abdul Aziz Issah pulled one back with a stunning long-range strike to make it 2-1.
After the break, the Black Satellites piled on the pressure, with Issah nearly scoring the equaliser early in the second half. Their persistence eventually paid off as they found the equaliser to level the score at 2-2, forcing the game into extra time.
The match remained evenly contested, but Ghana suffered a major setback when Aaron Essel was sent off for a late challenge in the second period of extra time.
Despite being down to 10 men, the Satellites held on, taking the game to penalties after 120 minutes of action.
In the shootout, Egypt converted all five of their spot-kicks, while Ghana fell short, with Dacosta Antwi missing the crucial penalty. The 5-4 defeat ends Ghana’s quest to return to the U-20 World Cup for the first time since 2015.