WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship: Laryea Kingston elated after Black Starlets' big win over Ivory Coast

Black Starlets coach, Laryea Kingston, was brimming with excitement after his team's impressive victory over Ivory Coast.

Ghana's U-17 squad delivered a commanding performance, securing a resounding 5-1 win against Ivory Coast in their opening match of the 2024 WAFU Zone B Championship at the University of Ghana Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Despite the victory, Kingston acknowledged the challenge posed by the Ivorian side, which made it difficult for his team to showcase their skills on the field.

"It's a joy for us today, but it wasn't an easy game as I mentioned before. The Ivorians are a very strong side," Kingston commented.

"Credit to their technical team; they did a fantastic job. They made it tough for us. We're a team that likes to play possession football, but the Ivorians made it difficult for us to keep the ball."

"As I mentioned earlier, we had a plan, but we shouldn't be bound by it. We approached the game differently and focused on closing down spaces."

Despite the challenges, Ghana took the lead in the 27th minute through Joseph Narbi, who doubled the advantage with another goal in the 42nd minute, giving Ghana a comfortable 2-0 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Godfred Sarpong extended Ghana's lead to 3-0 in the 48th minute, followed by Harve Gbafa making it 4-0 in the 53rd minute.

Although Ivory Coast managed to pull one goal back, Mark Kagawa Mensah sealed the victory for Ghana with a goal in the 90+1 minute.

Ghana's next match will be against Benin in their final Group A game in six days.