Ghana’s Black Maidens have kept their hopes of winning the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup alive after recording a convincing 6-1 victory over Niger in their fourth match of the competition.
The defending champions produced a strong response after going behind early, with Niger captain Rakiatou Oumarou opening the scoring in the second minute. The effort beat Ghana goalkeeper Rahima A. Napari, who started in goal for the Black Maidens, giving Niger a surprise lead.
Ghana quickly recovered from the setback, with Anita Yeboah restoring parity in the 11th minute before Daniela Abass completed the turnaround seven minutes later.
Zeinab Shani, who replaced the injured Ruth Ayayee in the 23rd minute, added Ghana’s third in the 27th minute to give the Black Maidens a comfortable advantage before the break.
After the restart, Ghana continued their dominance as Anita Yeboah scored her second of the afternoon in the 46th minute.
Captain Seidatu Wahab then extended Ghana’s lead in the 51st minute with a well-taken direct free kick, taking her tally to four goals in the tournament and making her the leading scorer ahead of the final matchday.
Substitute Sakinatu Amadu completed the scoring in stoppage time to seal a 6-1 victory for Ghana.
The result moved the Black Maidens to nine points ahead of their final game against hosts Côte d’Ivoire, which will be played on Sunday, September 27, at the Stade Scientifique at 2:00pm GMT.
The final fixture will be crucial for Ghana as they look to finish the competition strongly, with Côte d’Ivoire also in contention after collecting six points from victories over Niger and Togo.
Meanwhile, Nigeria remain top of the standings with 12 points and will face Togo in the opening game of the final matchday at 9:00am GMT. The Nigerians are the only unbeaten side in the competition and have put themselves in a strong position ahead of their final fixture.
Togo, who have three points, recorded their only win against Niger, while Niger remain bottom of the table without a point after losing all their matches.
The final-day fixtures will therefore be crucial, not only in deciding the winner of the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup, but also in determining the two teams that will represent the zone at the 2027 U17 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). WAFU Zone B has two qualification slots for the continental tournament, making every position on the final standings significant.
For the Black Maidens, the clash against Côte d’Ivoire presents an important opportunity to finish strongly, as Ghana continues its pursuit of the WAFU-B title while also aiming to secure a place among the zone’s two AFCON qualifiers.
