Ghana’s National U-15 Boys team, the Black Comets, saw their title ambitions end in the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan after suffering a narrow 7-6 penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay.

The quarter-final encounter ended 2-2 in regulation time, with the Black Comets showing determination to fight their way back into contention. However, Paraguay held their nerve from the spot, converting seven penalties to Ghana’s six to advance to the semi-finals.

Despite the painful exit, Ghana’s campaign has been one of the standout stories of the tournament, with the young side recording seven consecutive victories before their quarter-final setback.

The Black Comets began their Group W campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Uzbekistan before sweeping aside Myanmar 7-1. They continued their impressive scoring form with back-to-back 7-0 wins against Guam and the Bahamas, before closing the group stage with a 2-1 triumph over Kazakhstan.

Ghana finished top of Group W with a perfect record of five wins from five matches, scoring 27 goals and conceding just three.

Their dominance continued into the knockout stages, where they defeated Korea Republic 2-1 in the Round of 32 before producing another impressive display to beat Mexico 5-2 in the Round of 16.

Shamsudeen Sulemana was the star of the victory over Mexico, scoring four goals, while Abdul Aziz Issah added another to send Ghana into the quarter-finals with confidence.

The defeat to Paraguay brings Ghana’s winning streak to an end, but it does little to diminish the remarkable progress the team has made in Azerbaijan. Across eight matches, the Black Comets scored 34 goals, demonstrating their attacking quality and ability to compete against international opposition.

Their performances have provided an encouraging glimpse into the future of Ghanaian football, with the young players gaining valuable experience against teams from different footballing backgrounds.

Although a place in the semi-finals eluded them, Ghana’s campaign is not yet over. Under the tournament format, the Black Comets will participate in the ranking matches against the other quarter-final losers, giving them another opportunity to finish strongly.

For a team that won seven matches in a row and topped its group with maximum points, the quarter-final defeat is a disappointing end to their title pursuit, but their overall performance in Azerbaijan remains a significant achievement.