BY GRACE ZIGAH
Ghana’s national U-15 boys team, the Black Comets, finished seventh at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan after an impressive campaign that saw them record eight victories, score 44 goals and establish themselves among the competition’s top-performing teams.
Despite missing out on the semi-finals following a painful penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay, the young Ghanaian side produced several outstanding performances, including a dominant group-stage campaign and a convincing victory over Mexico in the Round of 16.
Ghana finished the tournament with eight wins from 10 matches, demonstrating considerable attacking quality and resilience throughout their maiden appearance at the competition.
The Black Comets announced their arrival in Azerbaijan in emphatic fashion, winning all five matches in Group W to finish top with a maximum 15 points.
They scored 27 goals and conceded just three during the group stage, underlining their dominance against their opponents.
Their campaign began with a 4-1 victory over Uzbekistan before they dismantled Myanmar 7-1. Ghana continued their impressive run with successive 7-0 victories over Guam and the Bahamas before completing the group stage with a 2-1 win against Kazakhstan.
The results established the Black Comets as one of the competition’s most entertaining attacking sides and provided a strong foundation for their knockout-stage ambitions.
Ghana maintained their winning momentum in the knockout rounds, defeating South Korea 2-1 to secure qualification for the next stage.
Their most impressive knockout performance came against Mexico, whom they defeated 5-2 in the Round of 16.
Shamsudeen Sulemana was the standout performer, scoring four goals in a remarkable individual display, while Abdul Aziz Issah also registered his name on the scoresheet.
The victory strengthened expectations that Ghana could progress deep into the competition and potentially challenge for a place in the final. However, the Black Comets’ impressive run came to a painful end in the quarter-finals against Paraguay.
After both teams played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, the contest was decided by a penalty shootout, with Ghana eventually losing 7-6.
The defeat denied the young Ghanaian side an opportunity to compete in the semi-finals despite their impressive performances in the earlier rounds.
Their disappointment continued in the fifth-to-eighth-place classification matches, where Brazil handed Ghana a heavy 7-1 defeat.
But the Black Comets responded positively in their final outing, defeating Colombia 4-0 to end their maiden World Cup campaign with a convincing victory.
Ghana ultimately secured seventh position in the final tournament rankings, finishing behind Spain, Czechia, Greece, Paraguay, Brazil and Guinea.
Spain topped the overall standings, while Czechia and Greece completed the top three. Although the Black Comets fell short of their ambition to reach the final four, their record of eight victories and 44 goals in 10 matches represents a significant achievement at the inaugural competition.
