Ibrahima Dione Fires Senegal Past Ghana 1-0 at U-17 AFCON
senegal beat Ghana 1-0 in their second Group D game at the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and they did it after going down to 10 men in the 42nd minute. Ibrahima Dione struck in the 57th minute to settle a match Ghana had chances to swing their way but could not finish.
Ghana’s early openings
The Black Starlets thought they had struck first in the 8th minute, only for VAR to rule out the goal. That left Ghana chasing the game before the interval, and Isaac Barfo then missed a penalty in first-half added time.
Those two moments defined the frustration for Ghana. They had the first clear break, then a penalty, and still went into the break without a goal to show for it.
El Hadji Sow Leaves Senegal Short
Senegal’s task got harder in the 42nd minute when El Hadji Sow was sent off for a second yellow card. Ghana had a numerical edge from that point, but they could not turn it into a goal before Dione finished the decisive move 15 minutes into the second half.
Dione’s strike was the only one of the match. Senegal then protected the lead while Ghana pushed late for an equaliser, but the defending held and the score stayed 1-0.
Group D Pressure Rises
The result left Ghana bottom of Group D with one point after two matches. That puts added weight on their final game against South Africa, where they need a response after missing a penalty and failing to make the most of Senegal’s red card.
Senegal took three points from a match that could easily have gone the other way, and the margin was built on one finish and one stubborn defensive stand. For Ghana, the damage is already in the table: one point, no margin for another slip, and South Africa next.
