Black starlets 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations hopes have been left in serious danger after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Senegal on Sunday evening in Rabat.

Ibrahima Dione scored the decisive goal in the 57th minute, handing Senegal their first win of the tournament even though they spent part of the match with 10 men.

The Black Starlets went into the Group D clash looking to bounce back strongly from their 2-2 draw with Algeria in their opening game, while Senegal were seeking redemption after falling to South Africa in their first outing.

Ghana made the stronger start and enjoyed long spells of control, creating several encouraging attacks. Their biggest chance came when Senegal went down to 10 players, but Isaac Barfo missed from the penalty spot, a moment that proved costly in the end.

Senegal then struck against the run of play with a well-worked counterattack, finished superbly by Dione to seal all three points for the West Africans.

The loss leaves Ghana at the bottom of Group D and in danger of an early exit from the competition.

In the other Group D fixture, Algeria edged South Africa 1-0 to climb to the top of the table with four points.

The Black Starlets now face a must-win final group match against South Africa if they are to keep their knockout stage hopes, and their dream of qualifying for the FIFA U17 world cup later this year alive.