TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON: Young Ivorians look ahead with confidence following impressive win over CAR
Published:
Cote d’Ivoire made an explosive entrance into the CAF TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, thrashing the Central African Republic with a 6-1 victory.
With a historic four-goal performance in the match (3rd, 13th, 41st, and 55th minutes), Elephanteaux forward, Alynho Haidara stole the show before being rightly named Man of the Match.
This result allows Bassiriki Diabaté and his young team to approach the rest of the competition with confidence and optimism.
“This match has given us confidence, and we were able to convert our opportunities, scoring six goals. I hope we continue in this vein,” said goalkeeper Cissé Abdoulaye after the victory.
This resounding win is is an outcome of hard work done over many months as part of their preparation for this competition, which the country is rediscovering ten years after its last participation.
“For nearly two years, we have worked on technical and physical aspects, and now we’ve demonstrated that on the field with very positive results,” said Somé Adama, who refuses to view the Central African Republic as a weak opponent.
“On the contrary, the opponent was a worthy one, we just applied ourselves and put into practice what we’ve been working on recently,” the young Ivorian midfielder added.
Forward Cédric Gobehe also mentioned: “The secret to this victory wasn’t anything extraordinary, just teamwork and solidarity.”
After the euphoria of this sensational win, the Group D leaders shift focus to Friday’s clash against scheduled for Friday against Angola, who were defeated by Mali 2-1 in the opening round.
The Ivorian players will aim to secure a second victory to achieve a quick qualification for the quarterfinals.
“Against Angola, in all humility, we’ll come out trying to take the three points. The objective is qualification, and we will fight for that,” said Somé Adama.
Cote d’Ivoire, who are the winners of the 2013 edition in Morocco, hope to repeat the feat on the same soil at the end of this 2025 edition.
