Cameroon Head Coach, Hugo Broos, felt that his charges deserved to beat Senegal in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final clash on Saturday night.
The Indomitable Lions went into the encounter at the Stade de Franceville in the Gabonese city of Franceville as the underdogs against the much-fancied Lions of Teranga.
However, Cameroon emerged 5-4 winners over Senegal on penalties following a goalless draw in regulation time and extra-time. Broos’ men will now participate in the semi-finals.
“It is a great day for my team. Not many people gave us the chance to reach the semifinals,” Broos told the media.
“We played against a strong Senegal team. We fought very hard and resisted several attacks by the opponent.
“Luck was on our side too. I congratulate my very young team. They really deserve to be in the semis,” he continued.
“Fourteen (14) of my team are playing in the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time and our ambition has always been to go far.”
In his reaction, Senegal Head Coach, Aliou Cisse, described the exit of the Teranga Lions as not an easy one.
“The elimination is not easy for us. It is hard for us and the country who were expecting so much from us,” Cisse told the media.
“I feel sorry for the players who wanted to write their own piece of history.”
“It is a big disappointment for me and the entire team. I’m the first person to feel their pain. It is very hard for us in the dressing room but we can raise our heads high,” he continued.
“The Cameroonian defence was compact from the start till the end. We created several opportunities but they resisted all our attacks.”
“We were not collective up front and missed a lot of chances. What we missed today was the fact that some players failed to realise that they cannot do it alone,” he concluded.
