MATCH FACTS: Senegal seek top spot in Group C at TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025
Senegal will hope to seal top spot in Group C at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 when they tale on already eliminated Somalia at the Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida on Monday (kick-off 19:00 local time / 18:00 GMT).
Senegal have four points from their opening two matches in the pool, and are level with pool leaders Tunisia, who take on The Gambia in their final clash.
The top two teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals and book a place at the 2025 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, while the teams that finish third enter a play-off for the two remaining places at the global finals.
This is the second meeting between Senegal and Somalia at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON.
The nations met at the 2023 finals in their final game in the pool, with Senegal already qualified for the knockout rounds after wins over Algeria and Congo.
Senegal won the meeting 3-0 as they eventually becoming champions, while Somalia exited at the group stages.
During their clash at the 2023 finals, Said Mohamed scored an own goal, the first by a Somali player at the finals, while Amara Diouf and Yaya Dieme scored two more.
Somalia, playing their sixth game at the finals, will see Senegal become the first team that they have faced more than once.
SOMALIA FACTS
· Somalia lost their opening two games against Tunisia 3-0 and Gambia 5-1.
· Somalia have lost their opening two games at the finals for the first time. In 2023, they drew their second game 1-1 against Congo, while losing their first to Algeria and third to Senegal.
· Somalia have now lost their last three games at the finals, starting with their final group game in 2023.
· Somalia have never won a game at the finals (D1 L5) and are yet to keep a clean-sheet.
· Somalia have conceded eight goals at the current finals, more than they did in their debut tournament when they let in six goals in three games. They also scored one goal in 2023.
· Somalia's 5-1 loss to Gambia in their last group game was their biggest defeat at the finals. The first time they had lost by four goals and conceded five goals at the finals.
· Despite losing to Gambia 5-1 in their last game, Somalia had 58% of the possession. It was only the second time at the finals along with their opening game loss against Algeria (52.1%) in 2023 that they have had more than 50% of the possession.
· Somalia faced nine shots on target in their loss to Gambia, the most they have faced at the current finals in a single game.
SENEGAL FACTS
· Senegal are now nine games at the finals without a loss. They last were defeated by Guinea in their second group game in 2019 (W6 D3).
· Senegal have conceded just two goals in their last eight games at the finals. These came in their 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso in the 2023 semi-finals and in their 2-1 win against Morocco in the 2023 final.
· Senegal have not conceded a goal in their last six group games at the finals, starting with their 0-0 draw against Cameroon in their final group game in 2019.
· Senegal last conceded a goal in the group stages in 2019 in the 80th minute of their 2-1 loss to Guinea in their second group game. Since then they have played 549 minutes at the group stages without conceding.
· Senegal have won their opening two group games for the second finals in a row. Victory will see them win all three group games for the second time along with 2023.
· Should Senegal avoid defeat they will go unbeaten through the group stages for a second time along with 2023.
· Senegal had four shots on target in their 0-0 draw with Tunisia in their second game. They prevented their opponents from having a single shot on target in the game.
· Senegal had 67% of the possession in their draw with Tunisia in their second group game.
· In both their group games Senegal have managed to make over 400 passes. In their opening game they attempted 405 passes against Gambia and 444 in their second game against Tunisia.
· Ibrahima Aidara completed 57 passes against Tunisia, the most by any player in the game.
· Senegal have never conceded a goal or lost in their final group game. Their record reads P3 W2 D1 L0. In their final group games in 2011, Senegal defeated Rwanda 1-0, while in 2019 they drew 0-0 with Cameroon and defeated Somalia 2-0 at the last finals.
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