Senegal’s Young Teranga Lions roared to a perfect start at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (U-17 AFCON) with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Gambia, courtesy of a moment of magic from Ibrahima Sow.
The match, played at the Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi in El Jadida, was decided in just the 7th minute when Sow unleashed a sensational right-footed free-kick, curling the ball into the top corner and leaving the Gambian goalkeeper rooted to the spot.
The West African derby turned into a tense, tactical battle, with Gambia pushing forward in search of an equalizer. The Young Scorpions nearly snatched a late goal, with Ebrima Jatta coming inches away from leveling in the 87th minute.
Senegal’s defensive resilience proved to be the difference, as Cheikh Dieng and Lamine Mbengue expertly repelled Gambia’s advances. Goalkeeper Alpha Mbengue also played a starring role, pulling off a crucial save in the 69th minute to deny Bisenty Mendy from distance.
Senegal had their own chances to extend the lead, with Mouhamed Wagner and Ousseynou Ndiaye both narrowly missing the target in the second half. However, Sow’s early masterpiece was enough to secure all three points and top Group C ahead of Tunisia’s clash with Somalia.
Senegal's Ibrahima Sow is the TotalEnergies Man of the Match with the match winning goal. ⚽️🇸🇳 @Football2Gether | #SENGAM | #TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 pic.twitter.com/CnJVYyfOmE
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) April 1, 2025With just two more group-stage matches to determine who advances to the semi-finals and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, every moment counts. Senegal now set their sights on Tunisia, while Gambia will look to bounce back against Somalia in a must-win encounter on Friday.
The Young Teranga Lions have made a statement, and if their opener is anything to go by, they could be on course to emulate their senior team’s recent continental dominance.
