U17 AFCON: Burkina Faso players explain how they turned the tables on Cameroon
U17 AFCON: Burkina Faso found the resources to overturn holders Cameroon and send them home.
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Burkina Faso have come back from the brink. The Burkinabés came close to going out of the U17 AFCON on Sunday evening in the final group games against Cameroon. For almost a quarter of an hour, from Cameroon's opener until young Souleymane Alio's second goal, they were effectively eliminated. But they found great mental strength to turn it around.
"We had a good fighting spirit"
Coach Brahima Traoré's tweaks and the players' determination did indeed change the game. "When we conceded the first goal, we just changed our system and our tactics to be more attacking. We put them under pressure and scored the two goals. We worked hard and had a good fighting spirit. We went 1-0 down but we never gave up. We had confidence in ourselves and I'm pleased with the desire the players showed," the coach said.
"In Burkina, we never give up"
Souleymane Alio, the saviour who scored both goals in the win, is savouring this vital turnaround. The 16-year-old striker, named man of the match, believes, like his coach, that determination was the key to this achievement. "I'm happy, it's thanks to my team-mates that I got this reward, I say thank you to them. In Burkina, we never give up. We gave everything until the end and we were rewarded. Cameroon are a great team, they weren't easy to beat, we gave everything and we were rewarded for our efforts," he said.
"We will prepare well for Nigeria"
Now Burkina Faso have a World Cup place in their sights. To get it, they will have to beat Nigeria, who finished second in Group B. "We had two objectives in this tournament: first to qualify for the semi-finals, then to fight for the title. We will prepare well for Nigeria so that we can reach the semi-finals and win the ticket to the World Cup," said head coach Brahima Traoré. The match is scheduled for Thursday at 19:00 GMT.
U17 AFCON: Burkina Faso will face Nigeria in the quarter-finals next Thursday at 19:00 GMT.
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