The Young Teranga Lions of Senegal beat their neighbours Gambia 2-0 on Saturday to win their first ever TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
Goals from forward, Sulaymane Faye and midfielder, Mamadou Camara in the Egyptian capital of Cairo were enough to secure Senegal victory over their arch-rivals.
They qualified to Saturday’s final with a hundred percent record, winning all their matches without conceding a goal.
The Young Teranga Lions were playing their fourth TotalEnergies U-20 AFCON final having finished runners-up in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Malick Daf’s side have followed in the footsteps of the senior Teranga Lions, the Beach Soccer national team and the home-based national team in winning continental glory over the last year.
The Young Teranga Lions started better at the Cairo International Stadium with their direct approach causing the Young Scorpions problems at the back.
The Young Teranga Lions broke the deadlock after six minutes through Sulaymane Faye’s header from a cross down the right channel.
The Young Scorpions came from the break seeking to get back into the match, but were too strong in defence for the Young Scorpions.
Senegal doubled their lead 10 minutes after the restart through RS Berkane midfielder, Mamadou Camara. The towering Mamadou Camara guided home a corner to beat the helpless Pa Ebou Dampha.
The Young Teranga Lions dominated possession in the opening exchanges of the second period with Lamine Camara and Mamadou Camara pulling the strings for Malick Daf’s side.
Senegal captain, Samba Diallo, twice came close to extending their lead against their neighbours. The Dinamo Kiev youngster saw his half volley agonisingly miss the target before blocking Alagie Saine’s clearance towards the Gambian goal. —Cafonline.com
