Defending champions Ghana will not be among the party at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) following a poor showing in the 2022 West Africa Football Union (Wafu) Zone-B qualifying Championship currently underway in Niger.
The coach Karim Zito-led Black Satellites – who conquered the zone and the continent just a year ago – got kicked out of the qualifiers at the group stage this time on Saturday following successive defeats to Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
After losing 2-0 to the Flying Eagles last Sunday, Ghana found themselves in a difficult position of having to beat the Young Stallions this afternoon to secure passage into the semifinals.
The Burkinabes took the lead on 33 minutes through a header by Moussa Ky.
But Alex Sarfo – who had come on for Emmanuel Agyei – pulled Ghana level with a deflected shot during first-half stoppage time.
In a dong-dong second-half battle, both sides chased for the winner and it eventually fell the way of Burkina Faso who had skipper Abdul Rachid Zagre scoring to make it 2-1 with the last kick of the game.
Burkina Faso advance to the semifinals of the Wafu Zone B qualifiers alongside Nigeria from Group B while Ghana bow out to the 2023 U-20 Afcon after back-to-back defeats to the duo.
The Black Satellites will thus not be able to defend their title when the Nations Cup – which will serve as qualifiers for the World Cup – is held in Egypt from February 18 to March 12, 2023.
The top two teams from the ongoing Wafu-B Championship will gain slots to represent the zone at the U-20 Afcon.
