- Golden Eaglets face B’faso for a place in cadet Mundial
Senegal have booked Africa’s first ticket to the FIFA World Cup after running riot to beat South Africa 5-0 in the quarter final of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers yesterday evening.
A pair of first half own goals by each of South Africa’s central defenders followed up by Mamadou Sadio’s goal and skipper Amara Diouf’s brace saw the Teranga Cubs continue with their impressive performance in the competition.
This is the first time ever that Senegal have progressed beyond the group stages of the U17 AFCON and by extension, the first time they have ever qualified for the World Cup.
Senegal scored three goals in seven minutes late in the first half to completely break down a spirited fight from South Africa.
With a 5-0 cushion, South Africa’s fighting spirit was hugely dented, and Senegal eased through the remaining minutes with utter dominance.
This evening at the same Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will take on the Etalons of Burkina Faso for a place in the U17 AFCON Semis as well as the World Cup ticket.
According to Head Coach of Eaglets, Nduka Ugbade, the game will not be a stroll in the park as all the teams at this stage of the tournament aim for the World Cup ticket.
“The quarter-final matches will be very hard nuts to crack because that is the step that earns you the World Cup ticket. None of the four games will be easy. Our interest is Burkina Faso and we are working hard towards achieving success,” concludes Ugbade with optimism last night.
