The Black Starlets of Ghana began their 2026 U-17 Africa Cup Nations campaign with a painful 2-2 draw against Algeria in a crucial Group D clash at the Mohammed VI Football Academy Pitch 3.
The national U-17 boys side made a dream start to the encounter as Robinho Yao Gavi opened the scoring just three minutes after kickoff to hand Ghana an early lead.
Ghana continued to dominate the early exchanges and doubled their advantage eight minutes later through Eric Adu Gyamfi, who produced a stunning strike to give the Starlets a comfortable cushion.
The Algerians, however, mounted an impressive comeback in the second half. Adam Benail pulled one back in the 57th minute before Melwane Zaidi levelled the score just three minutes later to make it 2-2.
Algeria were later handed a huge opportunity to complete the turnaround after Ghana captain Mujahid Osman brought down Yacine Abed inside the penalty box. However, Ilyes Grini failed to convert from the spot as he missed the penalty.
Despite surrendering their two-goal lead, the Black Starlets produced a spirited performance and will take positives from their display as they continue their quest for qualification to the next stage of the tournament.
The two-time African champions will now shift focus to their next Group D fixture against Senegal on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
