Ghana’s national U-15 boys’ team, the Black Comets, have capped an impressive campaign at the maiden FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan by securing a seventh-place finish among 189 participating nations, following a commanding 4-0 victory over Colombia in their final classification match.
The young Ghanaian side enjoyed an outstanding tournament, recording eight victories in 10 matches, scoring an impressive 44 goals and establishing themselves among the competition's top seven teams.
The Black Comets made a flying start to their campaign, winning all five matches in Group W to finish top of the standings with a perfect 15 points.
Their dominant group-stage performance saw them score 27 goals while conceding just three, underlining their attacking quality and defensive discipline.
Ghana opened their campaign with a commanding 4-1 victory over Uzbekistan before thrashing Myanmar 7-1. They subsequently recorded emphatic 7-0 wins over Guam and the Bahamas before rounding off the group stage with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Kazakhstan.
However, their pursuit of a higher overall finish suffered a setback in the knockout phase after they were eliminated by Paraguay in a dramatic encounter.
The match ended 2-2 after regulation time before Ghana suffered a heartbreaking 7-6 defeat in the penalty shootout.
The Black Comets subsequently faced Brazil in the Tier A ranking play-offs for positions fifth to eighth, where they suffered a 7-1 defeat.
The Ghanaian youngsters bounced back impressively in their final classification match, cruising to a commanding 4-0 victory over Colombia to seal seventh place in the overall rankings among 189 participating countries.
Several players distinguished themselves throughout the competition, with Shamsudeen Sulemana emerging as one of Ghana's standout performers after scoring four goals in the thrilling 5-2 victory over Mexico.
Abdul Aziz Issah also enjoyed an impressive tournament, delivering consistent performances and finding the back of the net against Korea Republic, Mexico and Colombia.
Despite missing out on a place in the top six, Ghana's impressive record of eight victories, 44 goals and a seventh-place finish represents a strong showing at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival.
The Black Comets will return home with valuable international experience and plenty of positives from their memorable campaign in Azerbaijan, having demonstrated the potential of Ghana's next generation of football talents.
GFA Communications