Maxwell Konadu says an early red card denied Ghana’s Black Satellites victory in their 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso at the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship on Thursday.
Ghana recovered from conceding first to earn a point, but head coach Konadu believes the dismissal significantly changed the match and prevented his side from taking all three points.
“We knew we could beat this team. We had that confidence, but the red card distracted us,” Konadu said after the game.
The Black Satellites were forced to play with 10 men for much of the contest, yet they continued to create chances and produced what Konadu considered an impressive attacking performance despite the disadvantage.
Ghana changed their system from a 4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-1 after the sending-off. Konadu said the adjustment helped his team find opportunities in the final third, although they were unable to convert enough of them to secure a win.
“We changed from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-1, and that created a lot of scoring opportunities. The ball just wouldn’t enter the net,” he said.
The red card also required further changes to the Ghana team, including alterations in goalkeeping and midfield. Konadu explained that a centre-back was moved into a defensive midfield role to help the side maintain its shape.
“We brought the centre-back to manage the defensive midfield position for us, and I think he did really well. Going forward, we will think about that.”
Konadu was also encouraged by the impact of his substitutes as Ghana looked for a winning goal. Kelvin Nkrumah was praised for his work in the wide areas, while Latif Abdul and Edmund Amakye both contributed after coming on.
“Kelvin [Nkrumah] exploited the wide areas very well, and Latif [Abdul] and [Edmund] Amakye came on and created chances, but unfortunately we couldn’t get the winning goal,” Konadu said.
Burkina Faso arrived at the match with confidence after beginning their campaign with a 3-1 victory. However, Konadu felt Ghana had been the more dominant side and that their opponents failed to reproduce the level shown in their opening fixture.
“They won their first game 3-1, but today they couldn’t come to the party. We played the game and created so many chances.”
The draw leaves Ghana with one group match remaining against Togo. Konadu said the team’s focus is already on finishing the tournament strongly, while also continuing preparations for the AFCON.
The Ghana coach is determined that the Black Satellites should leave the competition with a win, regardless of the disappointment of dropping points against Burkina Faso.
“We are preparing for the AFCON, but we want to win. We just have to win at least one game before we leave here.”
