Sports
U20 AFCON Egypt 2025: Ghana pip Senegal
At the ongoing U20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025, Ghana’s Black Satellites edged a fiercely contested match against Senegal with a narrow 1-0 victory, thanks to an early first-half goal from Emmanuel Mensah and a resolute display anchored by standout performances from Goalkeeper Gidios Aseako and midfield dynamo Lord Afrifa.
The game burst into life right from the start, with Ghana earning a corner and nearly scoring in the 1st minute, as Aziz Issah came close.
Ghana pushed forward with several early forays into the Senegal area, applying sustained pressure.
Senegal had their first opportunity in the 6th minute, but Satellites’ goalkeeper Gidios Aseako made a good save.
Moments later, Dennis Marfo received an early yellow card after a tactical foul following a defensive lapse, though Senegal failed to capitalize on the resulting free kick.
The contest evened out between the 10th and 20th minutes, but it was Ghana who struck first.
Emmanuel Mensah found the net in the 15th minute after a sharp pass from striker Jerry Afriyie. The Senegalese briefly protested the goal, but the referee let it stand.
Senegal responded with urgency, creating a number of chances. They missed from a one-on-one situation in the 18th minute, had a header saved from a corner in the 20th, and saw a long-range effort fly wide a minute later.
Ghana’s Jerry Afriyie then missed a gilt-edged chance in the 22nd minute after he was put through one-on-one with the Senegalese Goalkeeper.
Injuries and heavy challenges punctuated the half, including a brief stoppage for Misubau in the 24th minute. Aseako produced a sensational save in the 27th minute, denying Senegal from close range.
The half ended with another chance for the Satellites in the 43rd minute, after Lord Afrifa’s brilliant play nearly created a second goal. The Satellites led 1-0 at the break.
The second half began with a missed chance for Ghana in the 46th minute, followed by a Senegalese double substitution. Senegal came close again in the 51st minute, but Aseako remained firm.
The Satellites missed more chances in the 54th and 57th minutes, while Senegal failed to convert another in the 63rd. Ghana made key changes in the 63rd minute, introducing Maxwell Azafokpe and Sulemana.
Lord Afrifa, in the No. 9 jersey for the Satellites, continued to dominate the midfield, winning tackles and disrupting play with tireless effort.
Senegal made further changes in the 68th and 82nd minutes, trying to inject energy into their attack. Aseako received a yellow card in the 73rd minute for time-wasting, a sign of Ghana’s tactical management.
Andrews Adjabeng and Hayford Adu Boahen came on for the Satellites in the 78th minute as Coach Ofei looked to fresh limbs to maintain the team’s tempo.
Despite increased pressure, Senegal’s finishing let them down with a downward header in the 81st minute being expertly saved by Aseako.
Joseph Aidoo came on for the Satellites in the dying embers of the match, with Marfo continuing to shine, winning a free kick in a dangerous area in the 79th. The free kick was well executed but narrowly missed the target.
Six minutes were added on at the end of regulation time and the Senegalese tried valiantly to grab the equaliser. In the 93rd minute, Senegal had one last chance with a free kick, but once again Aseako held firm.
It was a match of high tempo, missed chances, and brave defending. Ghana’s midfield energy, smart substitutions, and goalkeeping heroics sealed a deserved and hard-earned win over a physically strong Senegal side.
With this victory, the Satellites have secured four points and lie second in the group, behind the Democratic Republic of Congo on goal difference. The top two teams in each group automatically qualify to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Ghana’s goal scorer, the enterprising Emmanuel Mensah, was adjudged the player of the match.
The Satellites will round off their Group C campaign with a match against the Central African Republic who lost 1-3 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Group’s earlier fixture of the day.
Sports
‘Black Stars not there yet’
After seeing Mali undone by Alexander Djiku’s second half strike to give Ghana a 1-0 victory over Mali on Monday in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Accra, Otto Addo gave his thoughts in the post-match press conference.
Below are excerpts.
On the game against Mali
You could see that we have a young squad and players who haven’t been playing often for the national team so far; that made them nervous. I think we got a good game.
We increased the pressure early in the second half, and managed to score out of a set piece. And then it was pure fight afterwards, especially the period after the goal.
On decision-making in the final third
I think if you have played before, you know that sometimes there’s a little bounce from the ball or the position is close and you think too much, I told them actually, but as a footballer, it’s normal that you try to look for a perfect solution.
Semenyo’s performance
He did really well, you know, it’s difficult to compare games from the Premier League with games in Africa and Ghana. It’s very, very difficult and then all games have their own nature and surely you can say that he stands more out in the Premier League, but for me today he was excellent, he fought until he couldn’t run anymore.
On Gideon Mensah
Well, I think sometimes he’s a little bit too confident and we had, especially after the Chad game, had some talks and for everyone who has played football on a higher level.
If he does it in La Liga, it’s fine because in La Liga, if you lose the ball to your opponent, he will counter-press you. He needs to simplify his game sometimes. Didn’t look too complicated, but it’s difficult sometimes if you’re coming from a different environment to switch your thinking.
On Kwasi Sibo’s performance
First of all, big congrats for him. I think he really did well. It’s not easy to come from a different environment to fit into the squad, but yeah, he knows a lot of players already in the team and he connected well. He’s very, very confident and I think he did extremely well, especially when you see that this was his first match. .
On Ghanaians being overly expectant
No, I think the expectations are normal. We are Ghana. For me, if everybody is talking before the Chad game that we already won and we are already taking the three points, it’s dangerous because if this gets to the heads of the fans, it’s a problem for me.
I’m warning everybody who think we have already gone to the World Cup to take things easy. It’s not like that. We have to give the same effort as today to beat Central African Republic. If we don’t do this, it’s a big problem. We have a lot of work to do. A lot of work. It’s going to be very, very difficult.
On goal scoring
You know, the last window, we scored eight goals. I think it was ok, but we can’t expect it all the time. So I hope that the players who missed the chances would score the next time. But it’s all about learning, improving and adapting always to the circumstances.
And I think in each situation, they could have taken one, two, three steps more or more time to look for the partner to have a better overview to give the right pass.
Sports
Black Queens Set to Face England Lionesses in International Friendly
The Black Queens will face the Lionesses of England in a high-profile international friendly on December 2,2025 per agreement between the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the England Football Association.
After reaching the semi-finals at the 2024 WAFCON, the Black Queens are determined to build on that performance and establish themselves among the elite teams on the continent.
This match comes off as part of Ghana’s preparations for all international assignments, including the 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The fixture against England, one of the world’s top-ranked sides and reigning European champions, is expected to provide the Queens with a tough test that will sharpen the squad.
Head coach Kim Lars Björkegren will also seize the golden opportunity to measure the team’s progress, expose the players to world-class opposition, and correct areas that need improvement.
The Black Queens will head into the encounter motivated to put up a strong performance, not only to test their readiness but also to showcase the strides Ghana continues to make in women’s football on the international stage.
