Senegal secures spot in UFOA-A U17 Tournament semi-finals. On October 12, the Lion Cubs defeated Mauritania 1-0. In the semi-final, Senegal will face Guinea-Bissau.
After two draws against Sierra Leone and Guinea, Senegal found themselves with their backs against the wall, seeing their chances of qualifying for the UFOA-A U17 Tournament semi-finals slip away. The Lion Cubs’ last hope rested on a victory against Mauritania on October 12 during the competition’s third matchday. Mission accomplished! Senegal won by the narrowest margin, 1-0, and secured their place in the semi-finals.
It wasn’t easy because there was a lot of pressure and stress, especially because it’s Senegal and we really wanted to advance. It was complicated at the start, but thank God we got the 3 points. The match itself wasn’t easy; the opponent also needed a point to qualify, so they really hindered the development of our game. Fortunately, in the second half, we were able to correct our mistakes and score.
With a 0-0 score at halftime, Souleymane Faye’s teammates, through a collective play, managed to give Senegal the lead with a backheel goal from Mamadou Aliou Diallo in the 47th minute. With no other goals recorded in the match, the Senegalese finally secured the three points and validated their place in the next round of the competition.
What prevented us from developing our game the most was the fact that the kids were too fixated on qualification. Every time we had opportunities to win, we always let the opponent equalize. We had chances, but we didn’t convert them, which often made us doubt ourselves. With this victory, I know they will now relax and show a different side.
In the semi-final, Senegal will face Guinea-Bissau, while the host nation Mali will take on Guinea. As a reminder, the two finalists of the competition will qualify for the final phase of the next U17 Africa Cup of Nations.