The U17 National Team won its ticket to the final of the Ufoa/A tournament, after its victory yesterday against Guinea-Bissau (0-0, 4-3, tab). Qualified at the same time for the next Can, the Lion Cubs will face Mali in the final, this Monday at the Stade Lat Dior in Thiès. The Aiglons dismissed Gambia after a very competitive match (3-2).
Pape Ibrahima Faye’s men, who came out first in their group without trembling with victories against Liberia (2-1) and Gambia (3-1), will be able to defend their title at the next Can in the category. On the same dynamic as its 2022 elders, who also qualified for the final of the last edition with a victory on penalties against Sierra Leone, let’s hope that this generation will do better in the final.
Clearly dominant, Senegal managed to keep control of the match in the first half. The situations piled up (2nd, 4th, 7th, 12th, 28th) without succeeding in taking the lead, including a goal denied to Youssou Mané (19th) and a post from a strong Etienne Mendy (40th) , like his partner in the right lane, Sidy Bahrama Ndiaye.
Gomis well on his supports
Things became more balanced after the break, with a second half more in favor of the Bissau-Guineans. Annoyed by fatigue due to the high heat and by the pressing of the young people from Guinea-Bissau, not always just with the ball at their feet but very committed, the Cubs had their first big scare in the 56th minute of play on a lob of Alajie Dabo who almost surprised an advanced Vincent Gomis.
The outcome will ultimately be found, in the absence of overtime, on penalties. Vincent Gomis, who had very little work to do during the 90 minutes, was solid from the start of the session by stopping the first Guinea-Bissau penalty. The first three Senegalese shooters (El Hadji Cissé, Madické Ndiaye, Moussa Cissé) scored. El Hadji Yamar Ndiaye found the crossbar. Finally, with Ismaël Vaz’s miss, Ibrahim Sory Sow scored the winning penalty, sending Senegal to the final and the next Can. The Cubs will try to win a title that eluded the Amara Diouf gang in 2022 against Mali.
With wiwsport.com
