The knockout stages of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026™ began with a bang, as Venezuela secured an unexpected victory over Germany and 10-player Ghana defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout to punch their tickets to the quarter-finals.
In the late games, two-time defending champions DPR Korea put six goals past Morocco, while Brazil also went through in an epic clash, defeating Poland 8-7 in a sudden-death shootout after a 3-3 draw during regulation.
‘World class’ Appiah hits spot once again for Ghana
Sometimes lightning does strike twice. Jessica Appiah scored the decisive penalty against Senegal to send Ghana to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026, and she has now repeated the trick to take the 10-player Black Maidens past Argentina and into its quarter-finals.
“I feel good right now. I’m very, very happy,” the Player of the Match told FIFA moments after notching from the spot. “We thank God for our win. We are ready for anyone who is coming, and we’ll win.”
Watch highlights of the match between Argentina and Ghana played at Mohammed VI Football Complex – Pitch 2 on Wednesday 28 October at 15:00 (local time).
Appiah was on a one-woman mission to take Ghana into the last eight. The No6 showed exceptional composure to cut on to her left foot and curl home their opener in the 16th minute, while her lightning-fast runs and close dribbling – much like they did versus Brazil in their second group match – terrorised the Argentina backline.
“She is a superstar, a brilliant player,” Priscilla Mensah stated. “Her impact on the team is very high, so going forward she will help us.”
That goal looked to have settled it, until a 77th-minute red card for Hajara Adam sent momentum the way of those in blue and white. Nine minutes later, a looping ball into the area was met by Mercedes Diz, who headed home the leveller. Spot-kicks would decide the contest, with Oriana Gomez missing Argentina’s second penalty while Ghana remained perfect to advance.
“I’m delighted, as usual,” Ghana coach Joe Nana Adarkwa said. “You can see in the celebrations that I lost my voice, but I’m OK.
“In our match that brought us into this tournament against Senegal, she scored the final penalty and today too. I’m happy for the girl. Jessica is a world-class player – she’s fantastic.
“We’re a technical team but our players did well because if you are not tactical when it’s 10 against 11, you lose the game. But thank God the players played according to our instructions and we drew. I’m happy for my girls because if you instruct them, they’ll get there.”
Cynthia Obinsrewuo was also central to Ghana’s success, assisting Appiah’s goal and similarly bamboozling the La Albiceleste defence with her pace and trickery.
“I’m so happy. The game was not easy, but we played our best,” she said. “We motivated ourselves [after the red card] so that we could get here.”
“We are united, we work together, so we deserve what is happening right now,” Mensah added. “The team are very happy and I hope we can go further and win more games and possibly win the trophy.”
Ghana’s reward for reaching a fifth straight quarter-final will be a battle against either Kenya or Japan. It matters little to Adarkwa whom his side will meet; the meticulous planning which has taken them this far will continue either way.
“We’re going to see who our opponent is, and then we’ll sit down and plan for them,” Adarkwa continued. “From here on in, every team is strong, so we’re going to rest and plan. Whoever are next, Ghana are coming for them.”
Yu Jong-hyang continued her remarkable goalscoring record at the U-17 showpiece by securing a brilliant brace to take her to 15 total goals over two editions as defending champions DPR Korea cruised past hosts Morocco.
Yu gave DPR Korea the lead in just the sixth minute when she headed in an Eh Chong-gum corner from close range. After hitting the woodwork, the Korean sensation then struck her seventh goal of the Morocco 2026 campaign just before the break.
Kim Won-sim also netted a double of her own, firstly taking advantage of a defensive error by Morocco and then striking just after the half-hour mark. DPR Korea did not let up after the break with Ri Ui-gyong and Ri Kyong-im extending the lead.
DPR Korea dispatch hosts Morocco
“I’m so happy that we scored six goals and won the match. We won today because we were united as a team. Losing to Nigeria was disappointing, but we showed that we were an improved team today,” Yu Jong-hyang, DPR Korea goalscorer, said.
“We’re disappointed, but I want to hold on to the spirit with which we played — the team spirit and the spirit we created today. If we’d brought those elements to our last two group-stage matches, we could have hoped for much better results,” Morocco coach Youness Rabie said.
SOURCE: FIFA
