'It was never over until the end' - Black Maidens assistant coach

Assistant coach of Ghana's U-17 women's national team, the Black Maidens, Bashirudeen Sumani, has praised his players' determination and resilience following their dramatic qualification for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after defeating Senegal on penalties.

Speaking after the thrilling victory at the Accra Sports Stadium on July 11, 2026, Sumani first expressed gratitude to Allah before commending his players for their commitment throughout the campaign.

"We give thanks to Allah for giving us this victory. I also want to thank our players because they showed great commitment and resilience. They stayed focused on everything we taught them, and that made the difference," he said.

The assistant coach also acknowledged the unwavering support of Ghanaians throughout the qualification campaign, describing it as a major source of motivation for the team.

"I want to say a big thank you to the whole of Ghana for supporting us from day one. Today, we are happy because we achieved a good result," he added.

Although Ghana had hoped to secure qualification within regulation time, Sumani revealed that the technical team had prepared the players for every possible scenario, including a penalty shootout.

"Throughout the match, our focus was to win before thinking about penalties. We kept reminding the players that the game is never over until the final whistle," he explained.

According to him, the coaches constantly encouraged the players by reminding them of the hard work they had put in during their six-month training camp.

Black Maidens beat Senegal on penalties to book FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup spot

"We reminded them of everything we had worked on over the last six months. We told them that a penalty shootout is part of the game and that they should approach it believing they would win," he said.

Sumani disclosed that the players had assured the technical team of victory before the shootout and eventually fulfilled that promise.

"They promised us they would win, and we reminded them of that promise before the penalties. They kept their word, and we are proud of them," he concluded.

The Black Maidens defeated Senegal 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the second leg, with the tie ending 2-2 on aggregate, securing Ghana's place at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

PAH/MA

Bashirudeen Sumani, Black Maidens captain reflect on hard-fought win over Senegal