With the stakes sky-high and the spotlight intense, Congo’s head coach Barthélemy Ngatsono cut a composed figure during Monday’s press conference, exuding quiet confidence ahead of their highly anticipated TotalEnergies CAF CHAN 2024 showdown against reigning champions Senegal.
At 68, Ngatsono is no stranger to high-pressure encounters and this one could define his team’s tournament. Seated alongside him was forward Japhet Mankou, both men calm but focused on what could be Congo’s most significant CHAN fixture to date.
“After the Sudan game, we took away both positives and negatives,” Barthélemy said. “But we’ve trained with full awareness of what’s at stake against Senegal. We didn’t come here just to watch others lift the trophy. Like every other team, we’re here for results.”
Grouped in a fiercely competitive Group D, Congo was seen by many as outsiders. But with two quarterfinal appearances in their CHAN history and a growing sense of belief, they are anything but pushovers. Now in their fourth appearance at the tournament, Congo seems ready to flip the script.
Mankou echoed his coach’s mindset, downplaying individual heroics in favor of collective grit. “It’s not about one player. It’s about the team. We have to unite and give everything for the win,” he said.
When asked if the tie symbolized a battle of domestic leagues, Mankou responded with focus: “It’s not about the leagues, this is Congo versus Senegal. We’re fully committed to executing our game plan and following the instructions of our technical staff.”
Barthélemy also noted that the match scheduling could prove advantageous as the group progresses: “The game spacing helps teams in Group D. It gives us better recovery time and more preparation for each match.”
A victory for Senegal would seal their place in the next round with six points, while a win for Congo would take them to four, blowing the group wide open and setting the stage for a thrilling finale. Senegalese head coach Souleymane Diallo has warned his players against complacency, describing the match as a potential “trap” and urging focus despite their favorites’ tag.
Kickoff is scheduled for 13h GMT (16h local time) in Zanzibar City, Tanzania, where all eyes will be on what promises to be a gripping CHAN encounter, one where Congo has a chance to make history.
Copyright©2025 kick442.com-Cameroon
All rights reserved. This material and any other digital content on this platform may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, written, or distributed in full or in part, without written permission from our management.
This site is not responsible for the content displayed by external sites
French 
English