Coach Souleymane Diallo has warned that Senegal’s second game of the TotalEnergies 2024 CHAN tournament is a “trap” which he is ready to escape as planned ahead of the competition.
West African giants and TotalEnergies CHAN title holders, Senegal, are gearing up for a crucial encounter in group D against Congo on Tuesday at the Amani stadium, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Tactical Approach
In a pre-match interview, Coach Diallo revealed that the home-based Teranga Lions have been preparing well for the game against Congo, employing a meticulous approach to analyze the Congolese team’s strengths and weaknesses. “We sent colleagues who watched Congo’s first game, and a report was sent to me, which I exploited, and we’ll prepare our game approach based on that report,” he said. “It’s a team that plays well as a unit, very resilient, and they play well on both flanks, utilizing a 4-2-3-1 formation with wing-backs providing width.”
Coach Diallo’s team is aware of the threats posed by the Congolese team’s agile forwards, who like to play on the shoulders of defenders and exploit spaces behind the defense.
*Title Defense Strategy*
Coach Souleymane admits Congo’s grit, but pointed out a formula that can boost Senegal’s
chances of defending their title. “We know the variant in Congo’s game,” he said. “The most important thing is what we do in the game. A plan was put in place throughout the week. We had 5 days to prepare. Tomorrow, we would try to apply a plan against Congo, focusing on maintaining possession and creating scoring opportunities.”
*Quarterfinal Qualification*
Koite, a key member of his squad added that the team is focused on validating their qualification to the quarterfinals, employing a pragmatic approach to secure a win. “We wish to validate our qualification to quarterfinals,” he said.”
*Previous Match Highlights*
In their previous match, Senegal faced off against Nigeria and managed to break the deadlock in the 75th minute, thanks to a clinical finish. Midfielder Serigne Koite pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box, drew out the Nigerian goalkeeper, and set up Christian Gomis to tap home the winner for Senegal.
*Congo’s Form*
Congo, on the other hand, came from behind to hold favorites Sudan to a 1-1 draw in an evenly-contested game on match day one. The Sudanese Falcons had appeared on course to collect all three points after wonderkid Musa Ali Hussein gave them an early lead in the 29th minute. A defensive lapse allowed Carly Ekongo to rescue his country in the 86th minute when he capitalized on a loose ball inside the penalty area to smash home the equalizer.
Expectations
Both sides have never faced each other in the competition despite having four appearances apiece, and the first match-up looks set to be a highly decisive encounter with Nigeria and Sudan lurking.
Serigne Koite has a CHAN silver medal in his DNA, and remains confident that his team can go all the way. Koite was present in Algeria when Senegal defeated the home-based Desert foxes in their backyard for a historic CHAN win.Koite has had a successful championship winning season with local side AS Jaraaf and the attacking midfielder hopes those successes can be transmitted to the current CHAN side.
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