Coach Paa Kwesi Fabin insists he met his target of qualifying Ghana to the U17 World Cup despite missing out on winning the African Cup.

The Black Starlets were unable to recover from a first half strike from Mali who retained the CAF U17 Cup they won two years ago in Niger.

Ghana had been hot favourites to win the tournament having made an explosive start to their campaign especially during the group phase.

And despite the disappointment of not winning the grand final on Sunday, coach Fabin

“My priority was to qualify for the World Cup and that winning the tournament was only a bonus,” he said.

“I am very happy to have taken the team to the World Cup.”

Ghana will be making a return to the U17 World Cup after a ten year absence.