Senegal forward Amara Diouf broke Victor Osimhen’s goalscoring record at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations with his second-half brace against South Africa in the quarter-final on Wednesday.
The Generation Foot academy star took his tally in the competition to five goals, surpassing the initial tournament record held by Osimhen, who scored four during the 2015 edition of the competition in Niger.
With two more games to play for Diouf and the opportunity to increase his goal tally, the forward revealed his delight at breaking the record and hopes to continue in the footsteps of Osimhen, who is one of the world’s most prolific scorers at the moment.
“It is always the right path if you follow the examples set by the best players in the competition,” Diouf said.
“This is a massive thing for me and I am really delighted to break the record. It means a lot to me and hopefully, I can also follow his path of success”
Following his impressive performance in the match against South Africa, the Teranga Cubs captain was named Man-of-the-match for the third time in Algeria, a new record in Algeria.
He continued: “I am hugely honoured to be named man of the match and more so for Senegal to win the game and qualify for the World Cup. It is a big achievement for us as players and it motivates us moving forward.”
Senegal’s rout of the Amajimbos not only helped them book a spot in the semi-final, but it also ensured their historic qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Saliou Dia’s side will take on the winner of the quarter-final match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso in the semi-finals at the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine on May 14.
