Ghana’s Girls in Black produced an improved performance to hold Brazil to a thrilling 3-3 draw in their second Group C game at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Brazil took the lead in the 7th minute through Nicolli, Rafia Osman equalized with Ghana in the 31st minute. Gloria Adomako Ameaa then put the Black Girls ahead in the 35th minute, assisted by Cynthia Obinsrewuo.
However, Kaillany Ranifah restored parity for Brazil in the 44th minute, before Indy scored in the 57th minute to put the South Americans ahead once again.
Ghana created several chances and thought they had scored through Cynthia Obinsrewuo in the 76th minute, but her effort was ruled out for offside.
Priscilla Mensah, who replaced Cynthia in the 84th minute, made an immediate impact, scoring in the 85th minute after Jessica Appiah Asamoah had secured a dramatic 3-3 draw.
Ghana goalkeeper Belinda Maku Aklie also made several crucial saves despite conceding three goals to help the Black Girls stay in contention throughout the match.
Brazilian goalkeeper Nathalia fouled Cynthia Obinsrevuo outside the penalty area in the 16th minute of the match and received the only yellow card of the match.
In the group’s other game, Canada beat Norway 3-2 to top the Group C standings and advance to the final round of matches.
Brazil leads the group with four points, followed by Norway with three points. Canada also has three points but is third and Ghana is last with one point.
The Black Girls will now turn their attention to their final group match against Canada, knowing that a positive result is crucial to their hopes of progressing to the play-offs.
Despite finishing bottom of the group, Ghana’s spirited performance against Brazil is encouraging. However, the Girls in Black will rue the missed opportunities, missing several clear chances that could have secured all three points instead of a draw.
Ahead of their final group match against Canada on October 24, they will need to be more efficient in front of goal to deliver another strong performance.