My players did so well even with a man down – Black Satellites coach Maxwell Konadu
Black Satellites head coach Maxwell Konadu has praised the determination and resilience of his players after Ghana battled back with 10 men to secure a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso in their second Group B match at the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship.
Ghana’s hopes were dealt an early setback after a first-half red card forced the Black Satellites to play most of the game a man down. The dismissal also disrupted Konadu’s tactical plans, compelling him to reshuffle his team and adopt a new system.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Ghana responded with an impressive display, creating several chances before Joseph Badu’s equaliser earned the Black Satellites a valuable point.
Speaking after the match, Konadu admitted the early sending-off made life difficult for his side but applauded his players for refusing to give up.
“It was a very difficult match. We had a red card in the early minutes of the game, which distracted us a bit because then we had to make changes and shift players to unusual positions,” he said.
The former Asante Kotoko coach revealed he abandoned his preferred 4-3-3 formation in favour of a 3-5-1 setup, a switch he believes helped Ghana take control of the contest despite being a player short.
“We changed the system, and that created a lot of scoring opportunities for us. Our strikers did everything possible and the midfielders worked extremely hard, but the second goal just couldn’t come.”
Konadu believes his side deserved more from the encounter, insisting Ghana were the better team after drawing level.
“We equalised when we were on top of the game, and that was when we should have killed the game. But we were unlucky. The boys played so well. We were just unlucky.”
The experienced coach reserved special praise for his players’ commitment and fighting spirit, describing their performance as one that reflected the character of the team.
“They did so well, even with the man down. I’m proud of the boys. We couldn’t win, but we will keep fighting.”
The result leaves Ghana with work to do heading into their final Group B fixture against Togo, where victory could prove crucial to their hopes of progressing in the tournament.
Konadu says the focus is now firmly on finishing the group stage on a positive note.
“We have accepted the result. We will try to beat Togo and see what happens. We want to win at least one game before we leave here.”
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