Guinea coach lauds players for bronze

Guinea coach Mandjou Diallo has expressed contentment with his side’s 2-1 win over South Africa that meant they finished third at the just-concluded Under-20 Afcon in Zambia.

Naby Bangoura’s penalty and Katlego Mohamme’s own goal ensured that the Junior Sylis walk away from the tournament with their heads held up high as they head to the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Korea that is set for May 20 - June 11.

“I am very happy with the way we played but I would also like to congratulate the South Africa coach (Thabo Senong). There are some areas of the pitch where we could not play but overall I was satisfied with the way my team played,” Diallo explained to supersport.com.

“As a result of the state of the pitch, South Africa were in control in the first half but we tried to do our best in the second half and to control the game. Overall, we played well.”

Guinea finished second in Group A with four points in the group stages, scoring four goals in three games before losing 1-0 to Senegal in the second semifinal last Thursday.

A place in the last four earned them a ticket to Korea but was also the first time since 1979 that Guinea made the semifinals, an accomplishment that has come with a lot of fulfillment.

“We had ambitions that we achieved. When it comes to the game against South Africa, we made some changes that brought enough positivity as you can see, especially in the midfield because we played very well and it contributed to our win.”

Guinea along with Afcon Under-20 champions Zambia, Senegal and South Africa will represent Africa at the 24-team Korea showpiece.