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Black Starlets made Ghana proud despite loss – Prez Akufo-Addo

The Ghana president is upbeat despite the Black Starlets’ loss in the final of the Africa U-17 Nations Cup

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President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo believes the Black Starlets did the nation proud by placing second at the just-ended Africa U-17 Nations Cup held in Gabon.

Ghana’s U-17 side last won the tournament in 1999, but were denied a record-breaking third after losing in this year’s final to Mali's Young Eagles.

The Black Starlets were made to pay for a poor start, and went down in the 22nd minute after Mamadou Samake tapped in from close range after goalkeeper Danlade Ibrahim had saved the initial penalty.

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The side continued to push but were ultimately undone by a combination of poor finishing and indecisiveness.

Mali subsequently emerged victors – successfully defending the crown they won two years ago – and left the Black Starlets to make do with second-place.

The loss sparked criticism from certain quarters, with some bashing the team for being over-confident and complacent going into the encounter.

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The Ghana president tweeted: “Better luck next time to the Starlets. We are proud of you. Now, unto the world championships. Make Ghana proud.”

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The Black Starlets started the tournament in imperious form, scoring nine goals in their first two group games, however, the team failed to reach such heights in subsequent games, culminating in 1-0 loss to Mali in the final.

The team will now have to prepare themselves for the U-17 World Cup which kickstarts in India in September.

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