U20 African champion, the Senegalese national team starts, today at 3 p.m., the CAN of the category by a duel with the Central African Republic. Favorites for their own succession, the “lion cubs” must win to launch a signal to their opponents.
The Senegalese national team, U20 African champion in 2023, in Egypt, puts its title into play. The “lion cubs” starts the operation of the continental title, this Friday, by a duel with the Central African Republic which discovered the CAN U20 in 2021, in Mauritania. The competition, which had to be contested in Côte d’Ivoire beforehand, is finally played in Egypt. Perhaps a sign of fate for the Senegalese juniors who had triumphed on the banks of the Nile thanks to a talented generation made up of players like Lamine Camara, Mamadou Lamine Camara, Samba Diallo, Pope Demba Diop. But two years later, the workforce has been renewed in its almost all. Only Mame Mor Faye, scorer in the final won against the Gambia (2-0), is a survivor of the course of two years ago. The “lion cubs” had also won all individual distinctions. Serigne Saliou Dia, the successor of Malick Daf, and his protégés are aware of it, their predecessors had put the bar very high. And it is imperative to keep this status of African champion.
Fortunately, the Senegalese technician is gaining in the blood. Winner of the 2015 African Games football tournament, he is the craftsman of the first CAN U17 won by Senegal in Algeria, in 2023. Besides, he relied on many young people whose footsteps in U17 like Serigne Fallou Diouf, Lassana Traoré, Yaya Diémé, Ibrahima Diallo, Pope Daoud Diong, Clayton Diandy Antoine Diatta, Dorival, Omar Sall. With a talented group on hand and equipped with players with a certain experience of continental competitions, despite the young age, Senegal has serious assets to keep its trophy. But the final is still far away. The participation of the Central African Republic, an opponent of Senegal of the day, is historic, since the CAN U20 in 2021 marks its first selection, all categories combined, to compete in a final phase of the African Cup. The team then got into the quarters. Two years ago, when Senegal was rolling on all its opponents, the Central African Republic was eliminated in the pool. But, during these two competitions, the Central African selection has acquired a lot of experience and will not present itself to the “lion cubs” as an expiatory victim. In the other meeting in group C, Ghana faces DR Congo.
