Gambia are out of the Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Mauritania after losing 1-0 to Ghana

Ghanaian striker Percious Boah’s first-half effort decided the semi-final fixture at Stade Olympique in the city of Nouakchott.

Ghana now await the winners of the second semi-final fixture between Tunisia and Uganda for a showdown in the final on Saturday.

This was the second meeting between the two teams and the Ghanaians were seeking to revenge their 2-1 defeat at the group stage of the tournament. 

Tournament joint-scorer Modou Bojang, who has two goals to his name, headlined Gambia’s first XI.

After Ghana and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku saw a penalty shout in the sixth minute ignored, the midfielder fired a second attempt 10 minutes later but his shot was saved by Gambia goalkeeper Lamin Saidy.

In the 33rd minute, Boah registered his second goal of the tournament, curling a free-kick from outside the box into the net.

After the half-time break, Gambia came back with renewed energy, putting Ghana under defensive pressure, and forcing goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad to produce saves in the 52nd and 56th minutes.

In the 82 minutes, Fatawu, having spotted goalkeeper Lamin Saidy off his line, saw an audacious effort from inside his own half fly just over the bar.

After four added minutes, the Guinean referee whistled to bring the game to an end, marking Ghana’s return to the final for the first time since 2009.