Senegal Targets First Youth Final

Senegal and Mali will battle
for a spot in the final of the 2015 African Youth Championship in Dakar tomorrow.
The hosts finished second in Group A behind Nigeria thanks to a last minute win over Congo in their final group stage encounter, while the Malians topped their Group B following three consecutive victories against Zambia, South Africa and Ghana.
Happy after booking their spot at the U-20 FIFA World Cup New-Zealand 2015, the young Lions are now looking to add the big cherry on the cake by qualifying for their first ever final in the competition with the trophy in their mind.
“We have reached our first objective and are now focused on the next game. The second objective is to win the trophy for Senegal,” coach Joseph Koto told local media Le Quotidien.
“If everyone stands by this team, we will succeed in reaching this objective.”
However, Mali will be the favourites to progress to make their first final appearance since 1989 and their 1-4 aggregate defeat to Nigeria.
Indeed, boosted by their three-match winning run, the young Eagles are approaching the match with a lot of confidence, eager to emulate their little brothers who went on to scoop the U-17 Championship in Niger in February.
“We are going to face Senegal on a natural pitch. We will feel more comfortable and try to play our football. If we carry on playing the way we have been playing since the start of the tournament, we can go all the way,” Mali midfielder Diadié Samassékou told L’Essor.
The winners will face Nigeria or Ghana, who will be battling each other in the other semifinal today, in the final on Sunday.
The game will kick off at the Léopold Sédar Senghor Stadium at 7:00 pm tomorrow.