Ivory Coast 2023: Senegalese Fan Predicts AFCON Winner Following Victory Against Gambia

• The Africa Cup of Nations continues to herald the continent’s footballing scene
• Defending champions, Senegal commenced their campaign with a victory against Gambia
• A Senegalese fan has predicted his winner for the AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast

The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) continues in full swing, and a host of teams are swiftly making known their ambitions.

Among the teams that have made an impressive start to the tournament are the reigning champions, Senegal. The Lions of Teranga wasted no time asserting their dominance over Tom Saintfiet’s Gambia.

Marseille midfielder Pape Gueye opened the scoring in the fourth minute with an assist from the talismanic forward Sadio Mane.

The Gambia’s woes were further compounded when defensive midfielder Ebou Adams received his marching orders at the tail end of the first half.

AFCON 2023: Super Eagles coach names the African nation He Thinks can win the tournament

Football

Facing Aliou Cisse’s side with only ten players for over 45 minutes proved to be a monumental challenge for the West African nation, and they ultimately succumbed.

Midfielder Lamine Camara secured a second-half brace, sealing a resounding victory for the defending champions.

However, in the aftermath of the match, a Senegalese fan boldly predicted his eventual winner of the AFCON.

Senegalese fan on AFCON winner

In an exclusive interview with Sports Brief after his nation's victory, Abdoulaye Diallo confidently predicted the winner of the AFCON in Ivory Coast.

When asked about the Teranga Lions' chances of defending their title, he emphasised,

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think we can do it again because we have experience now. We have the same team that won the tournament last time, with just the inclusion of three new players.

The experience will work in our favour, and considering we play for the same objective, we will win the tournament."

Sadio Mane Explains What Winning Two Straight Africa Cup of Nations Titles Would Mean

Football

However, Diallo acknowledged that Egypt and Morocco could pose challenges for the Teranga Lions. Nevertheless, he maintained his confidence in his nation's ability to defend their AFCON crown.

Aliou Cisse's team will continue their AFCON campaign with a match against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, a side they lost to in the quarter-final at the 2017 AFCON on penalties.

Super Eagles coach predicts AFCON winner

Sports Brief in a previous report highlighted Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has identified a team he thinks can win the AFCON.

The 63-year-old tipped Rui Vitoria’s Egypt as the favourite, given the qualities of marquee forward Mohammed Salah.

Egypt are grouped alongside Mozambique, Cape Verde and Ghana in Group B.