The second match day of the 2015 African U-20 Championship will begin on Wednesday in Dakar where host nation Senegal will take on Ivory Coast at the Léopold Sédar Senghor Stadium.
Both teams opened their campaigns on Sunday, with the junior Teranga Lions recording a disappointing 3-1 loss to tournament top favourites Nigeria, while the Elephanteaux shared the spoils with Congo after a 1-1 draw.
Senegal are on the verge of elimination from the competition while the Ivorians may face an uphill battle against the Flying Eagles in Group A’s final match on Saturday. And so, Wednesday’s game is a huge opportunity to smooth the path to the knockout stage.
Elephanteaux in training © DStv
Local supporters were frustrated by their team’s bashing in the first game while the media widely put the blame on the players for not being brave enough against Nigeria.
Coach Joseph Koto has promised to make up for their poor opener while facing Ivory Coast to ensure they reach the semi-finals.
After a heartbreaking elimination in the group stage from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea last January, Senegalese are hoping to take solace in their youngsters at the African U-20 Championship.
Sidy Sarr, who scored his side’s only goal in their first match, will be looking forward to torment the Ivorian defence alongside Alassane Diouf and Moussa Kone, both of whom failed to find the back of the net against Nigeria despite a couple of fine moves.
Inspired by their senior team’s success at the 2015 Afcon, Ivory Coast are dreaming to make it to the final in Senegal and eventually win a second continental trophy within less than two months.
However, they may face fierce challenges from teams like Nigeria, Ghana and Mali. But before that comes Senegal.
The Elephanteaux had the lead against Congo in their opener, but were pegged back to 1-1 due to lack of concentration mostly in the defence. Captain and fullback Franck Kessie assures there have been some improvements in training sessions and that the game against the hosts on Wednesday will be brighter that their opener.
The teams will face off against each other at 7.30pm GMT.
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