Senegal will meet Mali in Sunday’s final of the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations after beating South Africa 1-0 in Wednesday’s semi-final.
Senegal went into the encounter as strong favorites to beat Amajita given their success in the previous editions.
The West Africans played the last two AFCON finals, and while they failed to win any of them, they will fancy their chances this time around.
Senegal took the lead twenty minutes from time in Niamey as Givemore Khuphe put the ball past his own goal from an attempted shot inside the box.
In first-half stoppage time, Ibrahima Dame had the chance to score for the Young Lions of Teranga but his effort was saved by Amajita’s goalkeeper.
The Young Lions of Teranga boss Youssouph Dabo hailed his side’s accomplishment in reaching the finals.
“Since the beginning of the tournament, this has been the most complicated match for us. During the second period, we tried to play with a small variant to get our attacker in their area,” he said in an interview with CAF Online.
Both Senegal and Mali faced each other in the group stage when Senegal won 2-0 in Maradi but Dabo expects a different game from the fellow West Africans.
“Facing Mali, it will be a different match because it is a final. We had beaten them in the first game but I said it after that game that they can go far so I am not surprised to see them in the final.”
Senegal contested the final for the first time in 2015 but were beaten by Nigeria.
Neither Senegal nor Mali, who edged out Nigeria 4-3 on penalties after Nigeria’s Paschal Durugbor had cancelled Mamadou Traore’s 77 minute opener in the 1-1 stalemate after extra time on Tuesday, have ever won the tournament before.
Mali coach Mamoutou Kané, though, is expecting drama, saying: “This is going to be a great final – that is the feeling I have.
“I have a great team. I am talking about those who came to the tournament and those who did not come after their participations in the qualifiers.”
Sunday’s final will be played at the Stade General Seyni Kountche in the capital Niamey.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
- Nigeria: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2015 (7)
- Egypt: 1981, 1991, 2003 and 2013 (4)
- Ghana: 1993, 1999 and 2009 (3)
- Cameroon: 1995
- Algeria: 1979
- Morocco: 1997
- Angola: 2001
- Congo: 2007
- Zambia: 2017
