The Young Lions of Teranga secured their appearance on May 10, 2023, for the 19th edition of the biennial international men’s youth football tournament to be hosted by Peru.
They booked the continent’s first ticket to the FIFA World Cup after running riot to beat South Africa 5-0 in the quarter-final of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on Wednesday evening.
A pair of first-half own goals by South Africa’s central defenders, Waylon Renecke of Norwich U18 and Benjamin Wallis, gave Serigne Saliou Dia’s side the lead at the 36th and 39th minutes.
Abdou Fall assisted Mamadou Sadio to score his first goal of the tournament at the stroke of halftime, and the Young Lions of Teranga went for recess with a three-goal lead against their South African opponents.
The Generation Foot Academy prodigy, Amara Diouf, recorded a brace in the second half of the game, which means he has surpassed Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen at the 2015 tournament in Niger, where he scored four, and the Senegalese striker has five goals to be elected as the competition’s top goal scorer.
Senegal has advanced beyond the group stages of the U17 AFCON for the first time and has qualified for the World Cup for the second time in their history, having done so in 2019.
With a 5-0 lead, South Africa’s fighting spirit was severely weakened, and Senegal breezed through the final minutes with complete dominance to secure their place in the last four.
Serigne Saliou Dia, coach of the Young Lions of Teranga, credited Senegal’s people for the team’s 5-0 victory over South Africa in the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and subsequent qualification to the FIFA World Cup.
Dia stated after the game, “We are delighted with this victory. I congratulate the players for a job well done. I dedicate this qualification to the people of Senegal and everyone who has worked day and night to see us achieve this great victory.”
