U-17 AFCON Title Result Of Long-Term Investment – Senegal Coach
The Head Coach of Senegal’s U-17 boy’s football team, Saliou Dia, said their triumph at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) comes as a result of years of investment and he was delighted it was finally bearing fruit.
Senegal came from a goal down to beat Morocco 2-1 and clinch the U-17 AFCON title for the first time in their history.
“I am really delighted for this victory. I want to thank the coaches and the Academies as well as training centres who worked hard to prepare these players to have such kind of a performance,” Dia said after his side’s dramatic victory in the final.
“This is work and investment that started many years back and now the fruits are here.”
Looking back at the match, Dia admitted it was a difficult match, with Senegal going behind for the first time in the tournament.
“We played against a very strong team. Conceding first made the match very difficult but I think we should have been more cautious,” Dia added.
“We managed to regroup and dominated possession of the ball especially in the second half. It gave us a result and I am happy that the players gave a good fight and never gave up.”
Despite the victory, Dia says there is plenty to learn and correct as they head out to prepare for their second World Cup appearance.
The tactician says the team’s stay in Algeria was memorable and paid tribute to the fans for making them feel at home from day one.
📹 HIGHLIGHTS: 🇸🇳 2-1 🇲🇦
2️⃣ late goals earn Senegal a comeback victory against Morocco to claim the #TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 title 🏆 @FsfOfficielle | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/knJOq3WmNP
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 2023 🏆 (@CAF_Online) May 20, 2023
Senegal are now African champions in all football categories after its latest conquest in the U-17 AFCON tournament. They were also champions in the U-20 AFCON tournament, also in 2023, as well the CHAN tournament.
In 2022, Senegal emerged victorious in the Beach AFCON tournament. Also, the Teranga Lions of Senegal were champions in the 2021 AFCON tournament.
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