TotalEnergies U17 AFCON: Cesana proud of his players after Algeria draw
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Congo’s head coach Fabrizio Cesana says he is proud of the efforts put in by his players to secure qualification to the quarter finals of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Congo played to a 1-1 draw with hosts Algeria in their final Group A match in Algiers to finish as one of the best two third placed teams. Cesana says he was proud of his players’ performance against Algeria, and he hopes they can keep the same momentum heading to the last eight.
“I told the players in the dressing room that I am proud of them and I thanked them. It is not easy to play against Algeria, who are the hosts. They put in a high level performance today,” said the tactician.
Congo led 1-0 through Abiga Wamba Niati’s goal, before Algerian skipper Moslem Anatouf levelled as the two sides shared spoils.
The tactician says it was not an easy result to achieve, especially with the crowd behind the home side.
“We had come into this match inspired to win but we failed to achieve that because in football, it is clear. If you don’t use your chances, you are punished. We missed several chances and that is an area for us to work on,” noted the coach.
He also says he is happy with the team’s performance especially noting they had a short time to assemble and prepare them for the tournament.
