Despite the Black Satellites' pivotal 1-0 victory on Thursday, Ghana U-20 midfielder Abdul Aziz Issah acknowledged that their final group-stage match against the Central African Republic (CAR) was a formidable obstacle.
Joseph Opoku's key goal gave Ghana all three points in the fiercely contested match at the Suez Canal Stadium.
Ghana placed first in Group C of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) thanks to the victory.
After the game, Aziz Issah, who was also selected Man of the Match, stated, "We won even though it was a tough game."
"Even though we had qualified, we needed a win to lead the group, so we knew the game would be difficult because they needed a win to qualify and we needed a point as well."
Issah gave the team's perseverance credit for completing the last few seconds.
"We thank God we won in the final minute, even though we anticipated it would be a tough game," he continued.
The outcome puts head coach Desmond Ofei's club in the quarterfinals, where they will play one of the Group A or B third-place teams.
In order to guarantee their spot at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile later this year, the Black Satellites are now aiming to advance to the semi-finals.