Senegal – Burkina Faso: Aliou Cisse Trusts The Process

Aliou Cisse has recounted the moment when he took the job as Senegalese head coach, and the work done so far, prior to their encounter against Burkina Faso.

The former Teranga Lions’ skipper is under huge pressure to bring the country’s first AFCON silverware, but he has kept emphasising that the work done, cannot be overlooked.

Quizzed on the 2002 heartache the team suffered in the finals against Cameroon and how it links to his present side, the gaffer thinks it wasn’t a complete failure for the 2002 generation, as he explained;

‘I don’t think the team completely failed. I think the 2002 generation brought joy to the people of Senegal in a many ways’.

Aliou then asked very objective questions: ‘Is succeeding in football always winning? Or doing a job that will leave a legacy? We are close. There’s an obstacle which is Burkina Faso.’

Ever since making his way to the the ranks of the Teranga Lions, the team has been on a consistent rise, as Aliou Cisse underlines.

‘It is important to note all the work that this generation is doing.

‘From 2015 till date, I think if there’s a progression of a national team at the world stage, Senegal is part of it. When I came in we were 14th in Africa and 64th in the world. I think we are now 1st in Africa, and we are part of the top 20 in the world. It means we have been working, but to grace it, we need to win the trophy,’ Aliou Cisse ended.

The Stallions of Burkina Faso will face off with Senegal’s Teranga Lions in what is expected to be a thrilling AFCON 2022 semifinals encounter. This will be the third meeting between the Stallions and Teranga Lions, a match which will settle the scores between the two teams. Previous two encounters ended in draw of 0-0 and 2-2, all of which took place in the 2017 CAF World Cup qualifiers. Read on for a detailed preview of this game.

The game is expected to be one of the toughest duels in the ongoing AFCON 2022. While the pundits have given Senegal a huge advantage in this game, it will however, be difficult, breaking down Burkina Faso’s defence. The Stallions held out Tunisia in the quarterfinals and should be a difficult opponent against Senegal. The Teranga Lions have kept four clean sheets out of five games in the 2022 AFCON so far.