Stars, Burkina Faso draw in CHAN qualifier
Ghana’s Black Stars B last Saturday held the Local Stallions of Burkina Faso to a 2-2 drawn game at the Stadé du 4 Aoùt in Ouagadougou in the first leg of their 2018 Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier.
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Sadick Adams put Ghana ahead in the first half, converting a penalty kick awarded them after Abdoulaye Zongo was judged to have stopped a Winful Cobbinah free kick with the hand.
The Stars held on to the lead but the Burkinabes equalised seven minutes into the second half from a powerful strike from Sylla Mohammed.
Indeed, the Stallions were outplayed on their own soil in the first half but after the break, they came out fighting and put huge pressure on the Black Stars, who struggled to find the rhythm they enjoyed in the opening 45 minutes.
The Stars proved too hot for the Burkinabes as they dominated the game and deservedly took the lead again from a Gideon Waja’s finish.
Waja finished off intelligently, after a beautiful combination with Cobbinah, before swerving the Burkina Faso defence to slot in.
When it all looked like the Stars were cruising to an important away win, the defence lost concentration momentarily, allowing their hosts to claw back with their second equaliser.
Iliase Sawadogo took advantage of an on-looking Ghana defence to slot home a screamer much to the relief of his bench and to the disappointment of the Ghanaians
The second leg will be played at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi next week, with the winners qualifying for the tournament scheduled for Kenya next year.