Ghana’s Black Starlets endured a frustrating start to their 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations campaign after surrendering a commanding two-goal advantage to draw 2-2 with Algeria in their opening Group D encounter.
The young Ghanaians exploded into life early at the Mohammed VI Football Academy, looking sharp, aggressive and full of confidence from the opening whistle.
Their bright start paid off almost immediately when Gavi Yao capitalised on a costly error from the Algerian goalkeeper to put Ghana ahead in just the third minute.
Barely seven minutes later, the Black Starlets stunned their opponents again. Eric Gyamfi spotted the goalkeeper off his line and produced a brilliant long-range chip that doubled Ghana’s lead and sent the crowd into excitement.
With two goals inside the opening 10 minutes, Prosper Narteh Ogum’s side appeared firmly in control and looked set to cruise to an important opening victory.
But the momentum shifted dramatically after the break as Algeria responded with renewed intensity.
Adam Benali pulled one back in the 57th minute after connecting with a through pass from Mahdi Maghlout, giving the North Africans fresh belief.
Just three minutes later, Zaidi struck the equaliser to complete Algeria’s comeback and leave Ghana suddenly under pressure.
The Black Starlets then survived another major scare in the 67th minute when Algeria won a penalty. Fortunately for Ghana, Ilyas Grini blasted his effort over the crossbar, allowing the game to remain level.
Both sides pushed aggressively for a late winner in an entertaining closing spell, but neither team could find the decisive breakthrough.
The result leaves Ghana with one point from their opening Group D match, with attention now turning to a crucial upcoming clash against Senegal.
