Ghana’s National U-15 boys team signed off their FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival campaign in Azerbaijan with an impressive 4-0 victory over Colombia, bouncing back from a heavy defeat to Brazil.
The young Black Starlets produced an impressive response on their final outing, putting four goals past Colombia to finish their campaign on a high note after a disappointing result in the ranking play-offs.
Ghana had suffered a 7-1 defeat against Brazil in the Tier A Ranking Play-Offs for positions five to eight, having earlier missed out on a place in the semi-finals following a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Paraguay.
The quarter-final encounter ended 2-2 after an entertaining contest, but Paraguay prevailed 7-6 on penalties to end Ghana’s hopes of reaching the last four.
Despite those setbacks, the young Ghanaians showed resilience to finish their tournament with a convincing win over Colombia.
Overall, Ghana enjoyed an impressive campaign in Azerbaijan, winning eight of their 10 matches, scoring 44 goals and securing a place among the tournament’s top eight sides.
Several players stood out during the competition, with Shamsudeen Sulemana catching the eye after scoring four goals in Ghana’s 5-2 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16.
Abdul Aziz Issah was another influential performer, delivering consistent displays and finding the net against Korea Republic, Mexico and Colombia.
Ghana began the tournament strongly, winning all five of their group-stage matches before defeating South Korea 2-1 in the Round of 32 and overcoming Mexico 5-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Although the defeat to Paraguay and subsequent heavy loss to Brazil denied them a place higher up the rankings, the 4-0 victory over Colombia provided a fitting conclusion to an encouraging campaign.
For the young Ghanaian players, the experience in Azerbaijan represents another important step in their development, with the performances offering plenty of positives for the country’s youth football programme.
With eight victories, 44 goals and several emerging talents making their mark, Ghana leave Azerbaijan with plenty to build on for the future.
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