Ghana's young Black Starlets fell 7-6 in a shootout to Paraguay, ending a thrilling unbeaten run at the FIFA U-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan.
Ghana's U-15 boys saw their dream World Cup run end in heartbreak, as Paraguay edged them 7-6 on penalties in the quarter-final of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan. After 2-2 in regulation, it came down to a shootout, and the South Americans kept their composure when it counted.
Ghana had to fight to get there. In a tight, tense contest, the young Africans showed real resilience, recovering to level the game and force the tie into spot-kicks. Paraguay then scored seven penalties to Ghana's six, sending them into the semi-finals.
The exit is a painful one, but it should not overshadow what this group achieved. Ghana arrived at the quarter-final on the back of seven straight wins, including a 2-1 victory over Korea Republic and a 5-2 knockout-stage win over Mexico. They also topped Group W with a perfect record.
The attack was the story of the tournament. Across eight matches at the FIFA Talent Development Scheme event, Ghana scored 34 goals and stayed unbeaten until the Paraguay clash, playing fearless, front-foot football that made the nation proud.
The journey is not over just yet. Ghana remain among the tournament's top eight sides and will continue in the ranking matches against the other quarter-final losers, with a chance to finish strongly and bring more pride home.
