Ghana U20 gaffer Maxwell Konadu has showered praises on his charges for their resilience after securing a one-all draw with Burkina Faso in their second Group B match at the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship.
The Black Satellites had to fight as a manless side for over 60 minutes of the game to pick a 1-1 stalemate with the young stallions at the Charles Konan Banny (CKB) Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, on Thursday after Kofi Junior Kumah was sent off for a horrible tackle on the Burkina Faso forward Tapsoba in the 33rd minute of the game.
Konadu had to switch from his preferred 4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-1 system, a move he said helped the Black Satellites regain control and create numerous scoring opportunities.
Joseph Badu scored the equalizer as Ghana responded strongly after falling behind, but Konadu believed his side deserved all three points. He commended the players for their work rate, discipline and resilience despite the numerical disadvantage.
"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." Konadu said after the game.
"We needed to change the system, and that's exactly what we did. We switched from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-1, and that created a lot of scoring opportunities for us."
"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."
"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. We believed we could beat Burkina Faso and we created so many chances. Sometimes that's football - you just have to accept it and move on. The boys did so well, even with one man down." he concluded.
The former Asante Kotoko coach admitted the team was unfortunate not to score a second goal but expressed pride in their performance.
The result leaves Maxwell Konadu's side third in Group B with one point from two matches. The Black Satellites will now turn their attention to a decisive encounter against Togo on Sunday, where they will be aiming to finish the group stage on a positive note.
Although Ghana has already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations as tournament hosts, the WAFU B U-20 Championship continues to play a vital role in the team's development.
The competition provides the Black Satellites with invaluable high-level match experience, strengthens team cohesion and offers an ideal platform to fine-tune the squad ahead of hosting Africa's premier youth football tournament next year.
