FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: Black Maidens stage dramatic comeback against Brazil as Priscilla Mensah rescues point

Brazil took an early lead in the seventh minute through Nicolly Manuel, putting Ghana under pressure in the opening stages.

However, Nana Adarkwa’s side responded strongly and gradually found their rhythm. Defender Rafia Osman restored parity in the 31st minute with a powerful header to bring Ghana back into the contest.

The Black Maidens continued to build momentum and completed their turnaround just four minutes later. Gloria Ameaa found the net in the 35th minute to give Ghana a 2-1 advantage.

Brazil, though, refused to back down and equalised in the 44th minute through Kaillany Ranifah, ensuring both teams went into the half-time break level at 2-2.

After the restart, Brazil regained the lead through Indy, leaving Ghana with more work to do as they chased another equaliser.

Ghana continued to push forward and were rewarded in the 85th minute when substitute Priscilla Mensah calmly tapped home to make it 3-3.

Mensah finished off a delightful delivery from Jessica Appiah Asamoah, who caused persistent problems for the Brazilian defence throughout the encounter.

The late goal capped a determined performance from the Ghanaian youngsters, who showed resilience after falling behind early and again in the second half.

The draw leaves Ghana with one point from their opening two Group C matches, following their 3-0 defeat to Norway on Sunday.

The Black Maidens must now defeat Canada in their final group fixture to strengthen their chances of progressing to the knockout stage of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Having demonstrated their attacking potential against Brazil, Ghana will hope to carry that fighting spirit into their decisive encounter with Canada.