Defending champions Ashanti Region ended their 2026 KGL Foundation Inter-Regional U17 Colts Championship campaign on a winning note after coming from behind to defeat Upper West Region 3-2 on Thursday.
The five-goal encounter at the GFA Technical Centre saw Ashanti produce a determined comeback after a difficult start, securing their first victory of the tournament.
Upper West made an early statement when Osman Hamdan opened the scoring in the second minute, putting Ashanti under immediate pressure.
However, the defending champions responded through Atieso Thompson, who restored parity in the 16th minute.
The contest remained intense as Upper West regained the lead just two minutes later, with Hamdan completing his brace to make it 2-1.
Ashanti continued to push forward in search of another equaliser and found it through Thomas Frimpong in the 41st minute, ensuring the sides went into the closing stages level.
The decisive moment arrived in the 67th minute when Mensah Junior Jeffrey found the net to complete Ashanti’s comeback and secure a 3-2 victory.
Jeffrey’s match-winning contribution earned him the Most Valuable Player award.
Although the result offered the defending champions a measure of redemption after a challenging title defence, it came too late to change the course of their campaign.
Elsewhere, Volta Region also finished the group stage with a comeback victory, beating Central Region 2-1. Issaka Mahmoud gave Central the lead in the 15th minute before Nyande Nafiu Iddrisu equalised seven minutes later. Agbali John then scored in the 28th minute to complete Volta’s turnaround.
