Pretoria, South Africa – (African Boulevard News) – South Africa’s coach Duncan Crowie has vowed that his team will learn from their 5-0 defeat at the hands of Senegal in the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Crowie, speaking after the game at the Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, said that the team is not discouraged by the result and will take the lessons learned to become better players.
“We don’t lose, we learn. We will go back and analyze our mistakes as a team,” Crowie said.
South Africa had reached the knockout stage of the tournament after finishing second in their group behind the Ivory Coast. They had earlier dispatched Zambia and Ghana to reach the quarterfinals.
The team was however undone by a dominant Senegal side, who scored three goals in the first half and two more in the second to seal a resounding victory.
Despite the disappointment of the loss, Crowie praised his players for their effort and commitment throughout the tournament.
“I am proud of these boys, they have done well to reach this stage of the competition. It is a learning process and they will take the experience gained here to improve their game,” he said.
South Africa will now turn their attention to the 2023 edition of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Morocco.
The tournament is a showcase of Africa’s top Under-17 talent, with some of the continent’s biggest footballing nations expected to participate.
South Africa will hope to build on their impressive showing in this year’s tournament and mount a strong challenge for the title in 2023.
“We will regroup and prepare for the next edition of the tournament. Our target will be to go all the way and win the title,” Crowie said.
The TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations is a breeding ground for future stars of African football, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez having previously competed in the tournament before going on to become household names in the sport.
