Sacre des U15 : « Les jeunes disaient que le Maroc ne doit pas nous battre »
After winning bronze and then silver in previous editions, the Senegalese national school team reached a historic milestone by winning the African Championship in Zimbabwe. In an interview with L'Observateur, the U15 coach, Ousmane Diop, expressed his satisfaction with a "quite positive and progressive record," emphasizing that his team had finally reached "the top step of the podium" after several attempts.
The turning point of the tournament remains the resounding victory in the semi-final against Morocco (4-0). The coach highlights the exceptional determination of his players, fueled by the sporting rivalry between the two nations: "The youngsters wanted it more than we did. They kept saying that Morocco mustn't beat us."
To channel this energy, the coach asked them to "enjoy themselves" and avoid any excesses, while focusing on rigorous tactical preparation: "They said this match was ours. When young players had this mindset, I had more confidence. We tried to make them understand that the most important thing is what happens on the pitch, and that they should keep their faith and their tactics."
This victory was no accident. The staff had meticulously studied their opponent: "We watched Morocco against Mozambique, and that's where we saw their weakness. We knew we had to attack them. We prepared well in training. That allowed us to overcome them and beat them 4-0. We had a well-defined plan, and it worked."
Before this crucial match, the Young Lions had made a perfect start to their tournament in the group stage, with a victory against Benin (1-0), a convincing win against Tanzania (3-1) – their nemesis in 2025 – and then a draw against Zambia with a revamped squad, enough to secure their qualification. In the final, against Uganda, they prevailed on penalties, confirming their dominance after eliminating the same opponent last year.
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