Senegal defeated Congo 1-0 in their opening match of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFGCON), Algeria 2023 thanks to a goal from defender Serigne Fallou Diouf with 12 seconds remaining.

Senegal has now won its tournament opener once in three tries, moving up to second place in Group A with three points, along with leader Algeria after their 2-0 victory over Somalia yesterday.

While the goalkeeper, also by the name of Serigne Diouf, saved a first-half penalty, he made an equally significant contribution to the game in addition to scoring the game’s winning goal.

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Ayel Wumba Niati was unnecessarily pulled down by Alexandre Boukoulou in the 22nd minute as he ran after the ball to shield it from entering play. The goalkeeper made apologies by saving Boukoulou’s penalty.

Most of the pressure came from Senegal in the final third because they were quicker out of the gate. When Yaya Dieme picked up the ball at the backpost and took a shot in the 27th minute, the goalkeeper made an outstanding save.

The Senegalese kept trying to score early in the second half, and they nearly did in the 68th minute when captain Amara Diouf’s looping header hit the crossbar.