Central Region opened their defence of the Elite U17 Girls Colts Championship title with a 2-1 victory over Greater Accra in Prampram.
The defending champions were forced to come from behind after Greater Accra made the stronger start and took an early lead through Vida Boafo.
Central Region responded before the break in the contest, with Lordina Sam levelling the score to restore parity. The match remained closely fought as both sides looked for the decisive goal.
That moment arrived in the final minutes when Benedicta Abakah found the net to complete Central Region’s comeback and secure maximum points from their opening fixture.
The result gives Central Region an ideal start to their title defence, while Greater Accra were left without a reward despite taking the lead in the opening game.
Western Region win penalty shootout
Western Region and Upper East Region were unable to separate themselves during regulation time in the second match of the opening day.
The game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, sending the tie to a penalty shootout to determine which team would claim the additional point.
Western Region held their nerve from the spot, winning the shootout 5-3. The result gave them the crucial extra point after the sides had finished level during normal play.
The GFA Elite Academy suffered a narrow defeat in the day’s other contest, losing 1-0 to Northern Ladies.
In a match described as keenly contested, Mohammed Ruhia scored the only goal to settle the encounter in favour of Northern Ladies. The strike was enough to secure victory despite the close nature of the game.
Ashanti Region finish with emphatic win
Ashanti Region produced the biggest result of the opening day, defeating Volta Region 4-0 in the final match.
Franklina Onyina was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick as Ashanti Region established control and put the match beyond Volta Region.
Georgette Torsu added the other goal to complete a convincing 4-0 victory. Ashanti Region’s display closed the opening day’s action with the tournament’s most substantial winning margin.
The Elite U17 Girls Colts Championship now moves on to Matchday Two, which is scheduled to take place on Friday. Central Region will look to build on their comeback win, while the other participating teams will continue their campaigns after the opening round of fixtures.
The first day’s results included a 2-1 victory for Central Region against Greater Accra, a 5-3 penalty-shootout success for Western Region over Upper East Region after a 1-1 draw, a 1-0 win for Northern Ladies against the GFA Elite Academy and Ashanti Region’s 4-0 triumph over Volta Region.
