AFCON U-17
Somalia will fight back after defeat in U-17 AFCON first match – Abdulkhadar
The head coach of Somalia’s U-17 team Mohamed Abdulkhadir Sheikhdon has promised that his team will continue fighting on in the remaining matches at the on-going TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025.
Somalia suffered a 3 -0 defeat to Tunisia in their opening Group C match played at the Ben M’Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida in Morocco on Tuesday night.
But Sheikhdon has made it clear that most of his players were not used to the big stage in the opening match, but will re-group and improve in the next matches.
“We are determined to keep fighting in the remaining two Group matches because we know what we should do to be able to progress in the competition,” added the Somalia coach.
Somalia will next face The Gambia on April 4th in their second Group C match. The Gambia also suffered a 1-0 defeat to reigning champions Senegal in their opening match.
In Group A the other teams from the CECAFA Zone Uganda and Tanzania have all suffered defeats. Uganda Cubs suffered a 5-0 loss to hosts Morocco, while Tanzania lost 4-1 to Zambia.
The top 10 teams at the U-17 AFCON which ends on April 19th will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar as the CAF representatives.