U17 AFCON: Ghana fall bottom of Group D after narrow defeat to Senegal

Ghana suffered a damaging 1-0 defeat to Senegal on Sunday evening to leave their 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations campaign hanging in the balance.

A second-half strike from Ibrahima Dione in the 57th minute proved decisive in Rabat as Senegal secured their first victory of the tournament despite spending part of the match with 10 men.

The Black Starlets entered the crucial Group D encounter hoping to build on their 2-2 draw against Algeria in the opening round, while Senegal arrived desperate for a response after losing to South Africa in their first game.

Ghana started brightly and controlled large periods of the contest, creating several promising attacking moments. Their best opportunity came after Senegal were reduced to 10 men, but Isaac Barfo failed to convert from the penalty spot in a major turning point in the game.

Senegal then punished Ghana against the run of play with a brilliant counter-attacking move finished by Dione to hand the West Africans all three points.

The result leaves Ghana bottom of Group D and facing the real possibility of an early exit from the tournament.

In the other group match, Algeria defeated South Africa 1-0 to move top of the standings with four points.

The Black Starlets must now beat South Africa in their final group match to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage and qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup later this year.