Chagrin (SK), Aug. 31, GNA - Ghana's U-17 National team, the Black Starlets are expected to defeat Peru, another South America side on Saturday to book a place for the semi finals.
The first American team to suffer the defeat from Ghana was Colombia who fell in Olsen 2-1 last Sunday.
Brazil, the strongest soccer country in South America on Wednesday also suffered a 1-0 defeat to pack home after failing to impress fans at the Pyongyang Sports stadium. As if by coincidence, Saturday's match would be three encounters on a roll for Ghana against South American team and the Starlets have assured that they would make history by eliminating all the South America teams in the competition.
Ghana has a lot of advantages over Peru because since the country took part in the competition it had never been kicked out at the quarter-final match. Ghana's first appearance was in 1989 and the team was eliminated in the first round of matches.
The Starlets came back in 1991 and won the cup in Italy. If history is therefore to repeat itself, this is another time for Ghana to lift the cup since they failed to shine in Peru 2005 and were knocked out in round one and two years on just like in Italy '91, they are poised and hopeful to win the cup.
Even though Peru are in their second appearance in the tournament, they cannot be under-rated. The Peruvians was able to defeat Brazil in March this year during their South American U-17 championship. They also beat Ecuador to finish fourth in that competition that earned them the qualification into Korea 2007. Peru played its ever first U-17 World Cup match against Ghana in the group stages of the competition in Peru 2005. Ghana had to play 84 minutes with ten men when Wakaso Mubarak was shown a red card in the sixth minute of the first half.
For now the pressure would be on Ghana than the Peruvians since they know that Ghana has the pedigree in FIFA rankings than them. Already some of the players of the Starlets had given the ffirm assurance that they would progress to the finals and possibly bring the cup home. Peru is also confident and anxiously waiting to make history in Korea by reaching the semi finals by trying to defeat the best team in the world. But, if Ransford Osei, Sadick Adams, Isaac Donkoh and the rest of the playing body of the Starlets continue with the same zeal and playing rhythm then Ghanaians should be expecting big victory. To achieve all these convictions would however require the determination and all prayers needed to ensure that the cup came to Ghana because Germany, Nigeria, England, Spain, France and Argentina are still in the race, and it would not be an easy semi final for Ghana after Peru is defeated convincingly. The boys need to be properly psyched up to once again make history for the country at the youth level
