Guinea coach aiming to topple Senegal as AFCON group winners
Guinea coach Kaba Diawara is not resting on his laurels following his side’s 1-0 win against Gambia in their Africa Cup of Nations Group C encounter on Friday. Instead he is eyeing a result that might possibly strike a psychological blow early in the tournament.
Guinea face leaders and defending champions Senegal in their final group match on Tuesday with Diawara targeting a victory that will not only seal their qualification but see them finish the round as group winners.
Guinea sits in second place in the group with four points, two behind Senegal, who already booked their place in the knockout stage following a 3-1 win against Cameroon.
“Facing Senegal will be the group’s biggest game and we’re aiming to beat the champions, not just play them,” Diawara told reporters after the match.
In a tournament already serving up its fair share of shock results, Diawara can be forgiven for appearing to aim too high.
Continental heavyweights Nigeria and Egypt were held to draws by Equatorial Guinea and Mozambique, Cape Verde stunned Ghana 2-1 while Tunisia fell to a humbling 1-0 defeat to Namibia. However, Guinea still face an uphill task. Senegal have the swagger of champions and are in imperious form, collecting maximum points from their first two games. They have also scored six goals and just conceded one.
Senegal and Guinea last met at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in 2022 in the group stage. The two sides played out a goalless draw and both advanced to the knockout stages. Guinea were subsequently eliminated in the first knockout round by Gambia while Senegal went on to lift the trophy.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Diawara believes his side has what it takes to go on and beat the continent’s champions.
“This victory (against Gambia) is payback for that previous loss which was so hard to take,” Diawara said.
Diawara also noted that the win against Gambia showed just how much progress Guinea has made in between the tournaments.
“Winning is more important because it shows we’ve improved over two years and worked hard to get better.”
(Story compiled with assistance from the Confederation of African Football)
