FIFA U-17 World Cup: Eric Aiyah, Richard Danso help Ghana beat Niger, reach quarters

Navi Mumbai: Two-time champions Ghana entered the quarter-final of the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup after beating Niger 2-0 in the round of 16 match played at DY Patil stadium here on Wednesday.

The first half was a dull affair between both the teams as both failed to create chances. Both the teams played cautiously and kept possession. The chances were hard to come by as defenders from both the sides kept strikers at bay.

While Ghana dominated the possession, they failed to create enough chances in the game as the Niger defence stood like a wall and did not allow Ghana’s strikers to take a shot.

The first real chance came in the 25th minute when Arko Mensah’s left-footed shot from the right side of the box was kept out by Niger goalkeeper Khaled Lawali.

Ibrahim Sulley came close to break the deadlock in the 37th minute, but his effort was blocked by goalkeeper Lawali.

Ghana once again came close in the 40th minute through Najeeb Yakubu. The defender’s shot from the left was going to the goal only to see goalkeeper Lawali tip the ball over the goal.

Ghana finally managed to score the first goal of the match deep into stoppage time of the first half. Niger defender Farouk Idrissa fouled Najeeb Yakubu inside the box and referee had no hesitation in pointing the finger to the spot. Captain Eric Ayiah slotted the ball to the bottom right corner to give Ghana the lead.

The chances were hard to come by in the second half as well. Ghana kept on pushing for their second goal and came close to stretching their lead in the 65th minute. Emmanuel Toku’s left footed shot was kept out by goalkeeper Khaled Lawali who once again showed great reflexes to keep his team in the match.

Gideon Mensah almost came up with the miss of the tournament in the 66th minute when he put his effort above the goal with empty net at his mercy. The defender was saved from embarrassment by the linesman who raised his flag to rule him offside.

Ghana could have doubled their lead in the 84th minute. Niger defender Faroukh Idrissa once again conceded a penalty as he brought down Emmanuel Toku inside the box with the referee pointing to the spot. Eric Ayiah once again went for the right bottom corner but this time Khaled Lawali guessed it right to make a fantastic save.

Substitute Richard Danso, who came in for Emmanuel Toku in the 86th minute sealed the match for Ghana in the 90th minute. The forward scored from a long range effort which went straight to the top right corner giving Lawali no chance to keep it out.

After the match, Niger coach Ismaila Tiemoko admitted that his side made defensive errors which cost them the goals.

“We made defensive errors, which cost us the goals. We are satisfied (for our qualification in the round of 16), but we anyways have gained a lot of experience (in the tournament).

“When we have a match with equal footing, we cannot say that one person (the goal-keeper) made the difference. It was the two defensive errors which we made, that cost us the goals. The goalkeeper did his job like the others.

“For us it is a historic qualification, we went through the first round to reach the round of 16. And already we are ranked 15, of the 24 teams that are playing in the World Cup. And now we are expecting better, but already we have accomplished a lot big things in the tournament,” he stated.

“To start off I was very satisfied with the referring. I had earlier said in Kochi that the teams which were already experienced in the tournament were protected by the referees.But with time I think that the referring was a lot more equal.

“We played defensively as we should have played. We also had some goal scoring opportunities, but we would not say that we played a defensive game. Had we played defensive we would not have opportunities to score goal, we cannot say that Niger played defensively,” he further stated.

Ghana coach Samuel Fabin also spoke on the win.

“Definitely (conversion rate not being good) is a concern and we are working on it, it’s a work in progress. When it is an U-17 team, you know that they will make such mistakes. I am satisfied with the two goals that they have scored and that has taken us to the next round (quarterfinals).”

“We are here, every team which has qualified has that mentality to win the trophy. So we are also thinking alike," he said.

“Definitely when you come to play a match of this nature, you look at the fans and when you see your countrymen there, it gives you morale and kind of confidence to (perform). We are happy that they came and their presence helped us.

“They (the defenders) did well, but getting to the end of the match, they lost a little concentration. That created a little scare. We need to work and tell them to concentrate till the final whistle.”

“The penalty came at a crucial time and it was timely, that boost our confidence for the second half. We created so many chances, erratic shooting and indecision robbed us off so many goals.

But in the tournaments of this nature, goals, so many goals does not really matter, but the good thing is that we are creating them and we are scoring one or two and that’s ok for us," he further stated.

“When Africans we play each other, we know each other so well and therefore it’s very difficult. Even though we could have so many goals, it would have been difficult, till the penalty came in. So it will be a cagy encounter and we are prepared for it," he concluded.

Ghana will next face Mali at Guwahati on October 21.