Second-half goals from Linda Achiaa and Christiana Ashiaku sent Ghana past Canada and into the knockout rounds in Morocco.
Ghana's Black Maidens are into the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco. A 2-0 win over Canada in their final Group C game sealed it, and it capped a strong bounce-back after a rocky start.
The opening 45 minutes produced no goals, but Ghana came out sharper after the break. Linda Achiaa broke the deadlock in the 65th minute, giving the Black Maidens the lead they had been pushing for. Then, deep into added time, Christiana Ashiaku struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to make the win safe and set off celebrations.
Goalkeeper Belinda Maku Aklie also had reason to smile. The shutout was her first clean sheet of the tournament, and she helped keep Canada quiet when it mattered most.
The road here was far from smooth. Ghana opened with a 3-0 loss to Norway, then answered with a wild 3-3 draw against Brazil before finishing the job against Canada. Those results left them second in Group C with four points from three matches.
Now the Black Maidens wait for the remaining group fixtures to wrap up, which will confirm their opponents in the last 16. Whoever it is, Ghana will arrive with momentum and the confidence of a team that refused to let a tough opener define its tournament.
