Senegal defeated West African neighbors The Gambia by 2-0 on Saturday to win their first ever U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.<\/p>\n
Souleymane Faye and Mamadou Camara made the difference at the Cairo International stadium as coach Malick Daf’s team secured another trophy for the Teranga Lions.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately on three previous finals, the Senegalese entered the latest knowing they needed their sixth clean sheet of the tournament and at least a goal in regulation time to match up with the newfound Senegal trophy winning standards.<\/p>\n
As it was in the semi-final against Tunisia, the Young Teranga Lions drew first blood.<\/p>\n
The Young Scorpions got into trouble almost immediately the contest started as Pape Diallo connected Souleymane Faye via a cross and the latter made it count.<\/p>\n
The goal was the first conceded by the custodian Pa Ebou Dampha and the Scorpions in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Though the Gambia had some control of affairs the more incisive moves were made by their neighbors who nearly got the second through Faye who met a ball parried by Pa but failed to direct it into the goal.<\/p>\n
Senegal organized themselves at the back and punctured most of the counter-attacking moves to take the slim advantage to the locker room.<\/p>\n
The Senegalese formula of an early goal worked again ten minutes after the pause when Mamadou Camara headed home the second to send Dakar into another celebration.<\/p>\n
Coach Abdoulie Bojang’s Scorpions were struggling to even retain possession as Senegal displayed their class.<\/p>\n
A combination of good goalkeeping and wasteful finishing denied the thousands at the Cairo International stadium the chances of celebration of another goal.<\/p>\n
It finished 2-0, thus providing the coronation moment for president Augustin Senghor’s Senegal that had to be patient to wait for this moment after in consecutive losses in 2015, 2017 and 2019.<\/p>\n
\n\ud83d\udcf9 HIGHLIGHTS: \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf3 2-0 \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\uddf2 <\/p>\n
Senegal are crowned #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20<\/a> champions for the first time after beating The Gambia 2-0 \ud83e\udd81 @Fsfofficielle<\/a> | @Football2Gether<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rlyMTcSXoL<\/a><\/p>\n
— CAF (@CAF_Online) March 11, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n