Young defender Aaron Essel marks Black Stars debut in Ghana defeat to Nigeria

Ghana U20 defender Aaron Essel made his senior debut for the Black Stars. This happened during their 2-1 loss to Nigeria in the 2025 Unity Cup.

Essel was part of the Black Satellites team that lost in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations. He received a surprise call-up from Coach Otto Addo due to defensive injuries.

The 19-year-old started against Nigeria in the semi-final at Gtech Community Stadium. Unfortunately, Ghana fell behind 2-0 within the first half-hour. Essel had to leave the game due to an injury and was replaced by Ebenezer Annan in the 29th minute.

He is expected to recover before the third-place playoff on Saturday. Ghana will face Trinidad & Tobago for third place, while Nigeria will play Jamaica in the final.