Ghana throw away two-goal lead in U17 AFCON opener against Algeria

Ghana bottled a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Algeria in their opening game of the U17 AFCON on Thursday evening.

Despite taking a comfortable first-half lead through Yao Gavi and Eric Adu Gyamfi, the Black Starlets conceded twice in the second half to settle for a point.

Coach Prosper Narteh Ogum made a surprise decision by dropping captain Narbi Joseph to the bench, opting for Eric Adu Gyamfi, Yao Gavi and Kagawa Mensah to lead the attack.

Ghana made a dream start, taking the lead after just three minutes. A poor clearance from the Algerian goalkeeper fell kindly to Yao Gavi whose effort took a deflection off Ben Ramdani before ending up in the net.

Moments later, Eric Adu Gyamfi doubled Ghana’s advantage with a stunning long-range strike to make it 2-0.

The Black Starlets dominated proceedings afterwards and looked dangerous every time they attacked. Ghana nearly added a third, but Yao Gavi failed to connect properly with a precise cross from Mark Aboagye.

It was total dominance from Ghana in the first half, but they failed to increase their advantage before the break.

Algeria returned strongly in the second half and pulled one back through Adam Benaki after the striker calmly slotted home from close range.

Just two minutes later, Algeria were level as their attacker headed home a cross to make it 2-2.

The North Africans had a golden chance to complete the comeback after winning a penalty, but the effort was blasted wide.

Ghana responded positively afterwards but could not find the winner. Substitute Narbi Joseph saw his effort saved by the goalkeeper, while Yao Gavi also missed from close range late in the game.

✅ FULL TIME – Points shared in Rabat.#BlackStarlets open the U-17 AFCON campaign with a 2-2 draw against Algeria.

🇩🇿 Algeria U17 2️⃣-2️⃣ Ghana U17 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/EIrA79Sckb
— 🇬🇭 Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) May 14, 2026

Despite being the better side for large parts of the match, Ghana had to settle for a draw.
In the other Group game, South Africa defeated Senegal 2-1.

The Black Starlets will return to action on Sunday against Senegal in their second group match.