The Teranga Cubs of Senegal have stopped Benin 1-0 in the first quarter final played at the Cairo International Stadium in the on-going TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
Senegal’s win means they automatically qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and also book a place in the semi final.
After a goalless first half it was Samba Diallo who gave Senegal the lead after 51 minutes. The Benin team continued to push forward in search of goals, but failed to find the net.
The Benin team kept Senegal’s goal machine Papa Demba Diop (4 goals in the tournament) at bay.
Although the Benin team had more possession of the ball with 66%, they still failed to break the Senegal defending line.
Senegal who have kept their 100% winning run in the tournament will now wait to face the winner between Congo Brazzaville and Tunisia at the semi final stage. “We are very happy to qualify for the World Cup. But we have more matches in the tournament that we must prepare for,” said Senegal coach Malick Daf after the match.
Later tonight Uganda Hippos will face Nigeria in the second quarter final match, while Gambia will battle South Sudan in the last match on Friday night.
All the four teams that qualify for the semi finals automatically qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
