Senegal and Morocco secured their FIFA U-17 World Cup tickets after thrashing South Africa 5-0 and Algeria 3-0, respectively, in the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, played on Wednesday night.
The two became the first countries to also book a place in the semifinals of the Africa Cup.
Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Congo are still in the contest for the remaining two slots.
The young Eaglets will face Burkina Faso while Congo will clash with Mali.
Meanwhile, reacting to the result, Senegal head coach Saliou Dia, whose country has won all the previous CAF International competitions, told Cafonline that he was proud of the team’s performance and dedicated the victory to the people of Senegal.
“We are delighted with this victory. I congratulate the players for 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,” the coach said.
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The junior Teranga Cubs coach said the team’s next target is winning the AFCON trophy.
“Now we will work for the next target which is the title,” Dia said. “We will prepare ourselves well for the semi-finals and we know it is going to be tougher because teams now know that we are a tough side. We need to continue remaining patient.”
Senegal has qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time in their history.
