Benin Under-20 coach Mattias Deguenon has stated that his team’s mission at the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt is to reach the semi-finals.
The Junior Squirrels are making only their third appearance at the youth tournament and their first since 2013 in Algeria, where they exited the group phase after finishing third in Group A with a solitary point behind Ghana and eventual champions Egypt.
Their maiden outing came in 2005, when they were hosts and went all the way to the semi-finals, ending the competition in third place after beating Morocco on penalties. That feat earned them a spot at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, which later morphed into the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and Deguenon wants his team to be at this year’s edition in Indonesia as they prepare to face Zambia in their Group C opener in the city of Alexandria on Tuesday at 6pm WAT.
🇧🇯 Can the Junior Squirrels replicate 2005’s achievement? 🐿️ #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 | @fbfofficiel pic.twitter.com/9FjnPm1ov3
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) February 21, 2023
“We came here (Egypt) in November, we prepared against the Pharaohs,” Deguenon said on the CAF website. “We are in a good hotel, the reception conditions are there.”
“Our goal is to finish in the last four of the tournament. We want to qualify for the World Cup.”
“It would be a moral satisfaction for its young people who must show themselves to the world. We are working hard for that. We want to go step by step to achieve our goals.
“It is a personal satisfaction to be in this position, to defend the country and to put young players in the best possible position to win.”
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