Black Satellites head coach Maxwell Konadu has praised the determination and fighting spirit of his players after they earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso in the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship despite playing most of the match with ten men.
Ghana suffered an early setback when defender Kofi Junior Kumah was shown a red card, forcing the team to play with a numerical disadvantage for the remainder of the Group B encounter in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
Despite the challenge, the Black Satellites responded positively, with Joseph Badu scoring the equaliser in the first half after Burkina Faso had taken the lead.
Konadu said he was impressed by his players’ commitment, insisting they deserved to leave the pitch with all three points.
“It was a very difficult match. We had a red card in the early minutes, which distracted us because we had to make changes and move players into unfamiliar positions. But despite that, the game was keenly contested and I think we did our best. We played better and should have carried the day,” he said.
The Ghana coach admitted that the dismissal forced his technical team to rethink their strategy, but praised the players for adapting quickly.
According to him, the team created enough opportunities to win the match but failed to convert their chances.
“Our strikers did everything possible and the midfielders worked extremely hard, but the second goal just wouldn’t come. We equalised when we were on top of the game, and that was the moment we should have killed the match. Unfortunately, we were unlucky,” Konadu added.
The coach also commended his side for refusing to give up despite the setback.
“I’m proud of the boys. Even though we couldn’t win, we’ll keep fighting. We’ll try to beat Togo and then see what happens in the Nigeria-Burkina Faso game. Sometimes that’s football, you just have to accept it and move on.”
The Black Satellites will now focus on Sunday’s final Group B clash against Togo as they seek their first victory of the tournament.
