Senegal coach Aliou Cisse is demanding full focus and concentration from his squad with an eye on the bigger picture despite a dominant 3-1 victory over Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations,
“I congratulate the players because they played a great match. They respected my instructions and all the advice that I gave them,” Cisse said after the match. However, the coach was quick to remind his team that this win is just one step in their AFCON journey.
Cisse urged his players not to get complacent or overconfident after securing knockout qualification.
“There is the last match against Guinea in the round. We must remain focused. We have played two matches in the competition so far, and there are 5 remaining to reach the stated goal,” he added.
The coach recognises that while the win over Cameroon was impressive, his team must now prepare for tougher challenges ahead. Cisse is eager to avoid a repeat of 2017, when Senegal topped their group but crashed out in the very next round by same Cameroon.
Despite leading Group B with two wins, Cisse stressed that the real tests are still to come for the Teranga Lions. He has demanded full concentration from his squad as they aim to translate group stage success into continental glory.
Cisse knows his team has the quality to go all the way, but won’t let them look too far ahead. By keeping Senegal focused on the task at hand, he hopes to guide them to AFCON triumph one match at a time.
