Black Starlets captain Issah Abdul Rafiu has insisted that Ghana will remain focused on securing a positive result against hosts Burkina Faso despite having already qualified for the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U17 Championship.
Ghana will face Burkina Faso in their final Group A fixture in Ouagadougou, with the captain stressing that qualification will not make the team complacent as they look to finish the group stage on a strong note.
The Black Starlets secured their place in the last four following their earlier results in the competition. However, Issah believes the team must maintain its concentration and address the mistakes that affected their performance against Benin.
“Despite the fact that we have already qualified for the semi-final, we aren’t going to relax. We (the players) are focused,” Issah said.
The Ghana captain admitted that the team lost concentration during their encounter with Benin but revealed that the players have held discussions among themselves to ensure they learn from the experience ahead of their final group game.
“Just like our coach said, we lost concentration against Benin but as players we have spoken amongst ourselves and we’ll correct our mistakes,” he added.
Issah’s comments underline the Black Starlets’ determination to approach the Burkina Faso fixture with the same seriousness despite having achieved their immediate objective of reaching the semi-finals.
Kassim Ocansey’s side will now look to deliver an improved performance against the hosts as they seek to build momentum ahead of the knockout stage of the WAFU Zone B U17 Championship, which serves as a qualifying competition for the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
