By Great Somas Academy captain, Ernest Ofori, made an impactful appearance off the bench, scoring a consolation goal for the Black Starlets in their debut match at the UEFA International Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
Introduced in the second half, the 15-year-old striker found the back of the net for Ghana, reducing the deficit to 3-1 against Russia.
Highlights of the goals: Russia 3-1 Ghana
Great Somas Academy midfielder Ernest Ofori came off the bench to score the only goal for the Black Starlets in their first game at the UEFA U-16 4-nation tournament. pic.twitter.com/GnMsc3qyJF
— Lawrence Baidoo (@kweku_lawrence) April 24, 2024
Russia made a strong start to the match, grabbing an early lead just three minutes into the game courtesy of a goal from Vadim Shilov.
Exploiting the high defensive line of the Ghanaians, Shilov managed to outpace his marker to latch onto a through ball, before confidently slotting it past the goalkeeper to give Russia a 1-0 advantage.
The hosts extended their lead to 2-0 in the 30th minute after being awarded a penalty due to a handball infringement in the box.
Russia increased their lead to three goals after 34 minutes, capitalizing on a defensive error by the Ghanaian team and converting the opportunity to score.
Following the halftime break, Laryea Kingston made adjustments to his team’s formation.
One of the changes implemented by the head coach was the introduction of Ofori, who provided a glimmer of hope for the Starlets by scoring a goal in the 65th minute.
The midfielder from Great Somas received a pass just outside the Russia 18-yard box. Skillfully evading the initial pressure from the opposition, he unleashed a splendid strike that sailed past the goalkeeper, narrowing the deficit for Kingston’s team.
Although Ghana enjoyed more possession in the final moments of the match, Ofori’s goal served as a mere consolation, and they were unable to equalize.
Looking ahead, Ghana will strive to recover from this defeat as they prepare to take on Kazakhstan in their next group fixture on Friday.
