Maxwell Konadu praised Ghana’s character after the Black Satellites fought back from an early sending-off to draw 1-1 with Burkina Faso in their second Group B match at the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire.
Ghana were reduced to 10 men in the early stages when defender Kofi Junior Kumah was dismissed, but Joseph Badu’s first-half equaliser earned them a valuable point.
Konadu was disappointed that his side did not take all three points, but said he was proud of the way his players responded to the setback. He felt Ghana had done enough to win the match.
“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.”
The dismissal forced Ghana’s technical team to abandon their original tactical plan and reorganise during 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.”
Konadu said his team had gained control after drawing level and believed they should have taken advantage of that period of pressure to complete the comeback.
“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.”
The coach also said Ghana’s attacking intentions remained clear despite playing with one fewer player. He explained that the plan had been to use Kelvin in the wide areas, with Latif and Amakye introduced to help finish the opportunities created.
“The game plan was to use Kelvin to exploit the wide areas, with Latif and Amakye coming on to finish things off. The red card disrupted those plans, but we never gave up. When they came on, they created chances. The ball just refused to go into the net.”
Although Ghana were unable to secure victory, Konadu praised the commitment shown by his players throughout the contest and said they would continue to fight in their final group match.
“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.”
Konadu acknowledged Burkina Faso’s quality, particularly after their opponents had won their opening match 3-1, but maintained that Ghana had controlled much of the game.
“Burkina Faso are not a bad team. They won 3-1 in their first match, but today they couldn’t really come to the party. I thought we controlled most of the game.”
He was also encouraged by the effect of changes made to the starting line-up, including moving one centre-back into a defensive midfield position. The goalkeeper and one midfielder were the two players brought into the starting side.
“We changed two players – the goalkeeper and one midfielder. We moved one of our centre-backs into the defensive midfield role and he did really well. Going forward, that’s something we’ll think about. In the last game we’ll also give other players the chance to experience the tournament because everyone has a role to play in our preparations. But first and foremost, we want to win. We have to win at least one game before we leave here.”
The Black Satellites will face Togo on Sunday in their final Group B fixture, with victory important as they aim to end the tournament strongly.
Ghana have already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations because they will host the competition. However, the WAFU B U-20 Championship remains a significant part of their preparations, offering competitive experience, helping build team cohesion and allowing the squad to develop before next year’s tournament.
