Ghana conquers FIFA U-20 world of football

Ghana’s Black Satellites in one of the most difficult circumstances shocked Brazil to lift their first and Africa’s first gold in the history of the U20 championships. And it took 120 minutes of goalless nerve-racking football, with ten men and a 4-3 penalty victory to exorcise the Brazilian ghost which has long haunted the Satellites.

Agyemang Badu, with equally a man-of-the-match performance, converted the last kick to glory but the exploits of goal keeper Daniel Agyei cannot be overemphasized. The Brazilians were gunning for their fifth gold and it was all looking manifest in the opening 30 minutes of the game. Nearly a minute and half into the game, the Ghanaians had not kicked the ball.

The sweet playing South American side assaulted the goal area of the Satellites, and in the 3rd minute, Dalton, proved why he is a central defender, when he dug his head into a superb cross from Douglass in Ghana's final third. His efforts went flying high into the sky and to Ghana's relief. The Satellites were left off the hook in the ninth minute after a delectable free kick missed Henrique's head and the goalpost by inches. The Brazilians knocked the ball around in no hurry at all for a goal, and kept the Satellites chasing their shadows.

The underdogs lifted up their game but the only opportunity to punish goalkeeper Rafael was missed by serial goal scorer Dominic Adiyiah. Just when their confidence was soaring after a scrappy opening, the bombshell came with a straight red card flashed in a rather controversial circumstances to defender Daniel Addo in the 38th minute. Samuel Inkoom contributed to the woes of the defender, when he needlessly gave away the ball to the Brazilians and in a counter attack left Addo helpless, bringing his attacker down in the process and attracting a straight red card. But truth be told, the Belgian referee, Frank DE BLEECKERE, was harsh with his call.  Agyemang Badu was pulled back to assist Jonathan Mensah in the heart of defence and the two did a superb job albeit some desperate moments.

The South Americans had their tactics spot on, clipping the flying wings of wing backs, Samuel Inkoom and David Addy whose rampaging runs up-field could not be crowned with their usual incisive cross. From recess the strategy was unchanged. The Satellites defended as if their lives depended on it, whilst the Selacao poured in to unlock the tight defence. Goal poacher, Dominic Adiyiah was was usually overcrowded by Junior and Toloi after his strike partner Ransford Osei was pulled out for tactical reasons.

The Brazilians got edgy as the minutes wore on, displaying some erratic long range shots which forced second time saves from Agyei after he spilt it in the first attempt. Teixeira proved a slippery customer for Addy on the left and in one of his superb runs picked an unmarked Souza whose final shot in the 67th minute went wide. The resolute Ghanaian defence kept the South American attack at bay till the end of 90 minutes. 

In extra time the game was even more nervy. The Satellites caught the Brazilians on the break on few occasions, but an instinctive and heroic save from Daniel Agyei in the 96th minute kept the Satellites dream alive. Teixeira breached the Ghanaian defence set Maicon but the striker could not keep his nerve and shot into the path of Agyei. 

It always looked like the tussle will be settled by firing squad and the Belgian referee rightly pointed to the spot after 120 minutes of barren exchange. The South Americans again had the opportunity after Jonathan Mensah and Addae wasted their kicks, but a Teixeira and a Maicon miss turned the tables around.

Skipper Ayew, Adiyiah, Samuel Inkoom had earlier converted their kicks and needed the final kick of glory from Agyemang Badu to realise a long held ambition of winning Africa’s first U-20 trophy since 1977.