Dakar, Senegal – (African Boulevard News) – Saliou Dia, the head coach of Senegal’s U17 national team, has expressed his desire for his young team to score more goals at the ongoing TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algiers, Algeria. Senegal opened their campaign in a closely contested match against Congo, which they won 1-0.
Dia, who is a former professional footballer, understands the importance of goals in football, especially in knockout competitions like the U17 AFCON. He admitted that his team needs to improve their goal-scoring abilities in the remaining matches of the tournament to increase their chances of success.
“I am happy with the result against Congo, but we need to score more goals. We created some chances, but we need to be more clinical in front of goal,” said Dia.
Senegal is one of the favorites to win the U17 AFCON, having won the previous edition in Tanzania two years ago. Dia, who was the assistant coach at the time, is now in charge and has high expectations for his team.
“Our objective is to win the tournament, but we still have a long way to go. We will take it one match at a time and focus on improving our performances,” he added.
Senegal is drawn in Group B alongside Congo, Tanzania, and Nigeria. They will play their next match against Tanzania on Wednesday before facing Nigeria in their final group game on Saturday.
The U17 AFCON is a platform for young African footballers to showcase their talents and potentially earn a move to top European clubs. The tournament has previously produced world-class players such as Nwankwo Kanu, Samuel Eto’o, and Sadio Mane.
In conclusion, Saliou Dia’s desire for his team to score more goals should serve as a wake-up call for his players. Senegal has a great chance of defending their U17 AFCON title, but they need to be more clinical in front of goal. As the tournament progresses, they will face tougher opponents, and their goal-scoring abilities will be put to the test.
