Of course it was “only” Orapa United, representative in the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Cup of Botswana which has never played in the final phase of the African Nations Championship (Chan) and only has participation in the African Cup of Nations (Can), in 2012.
A presence sanctioned by a zero point with defeats against Ghana, Mali and Guinea. This means that the opponent of Jaraaf of Dakar, yesterday during the fourth day of the group stage of the second Caf interclub competition, is anything but a lightning strike. Despite a missed penalty at the start of the match (13th minute by their captain Jean Rémy Bocandé), a slew of missed clear scoring chances, and a generally gloomy performance, the “Green and White” had the merit of never giving up . To be rewarded at the end of added time with a goal from Almamy Ma theuw Fall. So here are the Medinese (5 points) relaunched in the race to qualify for the quarter-finals, even if the rest will be much more complicated against Asec (5 points) from the next day and Usm Alger (8 points) for close the loop. But that’s already won.
And it is also a great way to launch the year 2025 under good auspices in terms of continental football competitions. A bit like the previous one had been closed in style the weekend before by the local national team. Certainly, once again, there was “only” Liberia opposite, whose “Lone Star” only shone twice in the African sky. It was during the Can of 1996 and 2002, at the time when George Weah, who later became President of the Republic (from January 2018 to January 2024), lit up the African and European lawns with his immense talent. However, he had never managed to take his team beyond the first round. Since then, the “Lone Star” has faded. The local “Lions”, winners of the last Chan, were happy to enforce the hierarchy (3 goals to 0) against the young compatriots of “Mister George”.
Coach Souleymane Diallo’s men will therefore defend their title next month in East Africa, during the first Chan which will be contested between 18 teams and in three different countries (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). And it won’t be a piece of cake. This time, they will be awaited as if by highway robbers in the corner of a wood. All the other Senegalese teams qualified in the final stages of African competitions are also in the same boat in this year 2025. Because the Africa of football has in its memory (and especially in its throat) the raid of the “Lions” and their younger brothers between 2022 and 2023 in almost all the tables where they were pledged.
Only the women’s Can had escaped them. Otherwise the trophies of the big Can in February 2022, Beach Soccer in October of the same year, Chan in February 2023, Can U20 in March and Can U17 in May of the same year had all slept in Dakar. The crazy bet is to do it again, since it is commonly accepted that it is easier to reach the top than to stay there. The “Lions” A had relearned it the hard way during the last Can a year ago. Arriving in Ivory Coast with the ambition of retaining their crown acquired in February 2022 in Cameroon, they were pitifully ejected in the round of 16 by the “Elephants” who then succeeded them on the list of winners. However, our barefoot footballers demonstrated that ‘lion is not afraid of difficulty’, and led the way in retaining their continental Beach Soccer title last October in Egypt. From now on, it is up to the School U15s, the U17s, the U20s, the local “Lions” and the big A team, even the “Lionesses”, to follow the example.
BKN
