Benin coach Mathias Deguenon says his Young Cheetahs will work harder following their narrow 1-0 defeat to Senegal in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Cheetahs put up a brave performance against the high flying Senegal at the Cairo International Stadium.
Samba Diallo scored the lone goal to send the WAFU-A champions to the semi-finals and book a place at this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
“Unfortunately our journey in the tournament ended today after losing,” Deguenon told journalists.
“We faced a strong team and despite our good performance we were not able to win.
“We will return to our country now to train and work harder to prepare for what’s to come.”
Mathias Deguenon was full of praise for one of his group stage opponents despite the disappointment of not making the semi-finals.
“We have faced four teams so far but the strongest of them was the Gambian team,” Deguenon said.
Source: Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF)