Senegal maintain Olympic dream

Category: Football Created on Monday, 30 July 2012 08:49 Published Date

30-07-2012
by MTHULISI SIBANDA
South Africa Bureau
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SENEGAL are on course to make it through to the quarterfinals of the Olympics following a breathtaking run in the tournament in London.

The West Africans have emerged the team to beat in the tournament and enhanced their status as a powerful force with a 2-0 win over Uruguay despite playing the better part of the match at Wembley Stadium a man short.

Defender Abdoulaye Ba was sent off in the 30th minute for a professional foul on controversial Liverpool forward, Luis Suarez.

That nonetheless could not deter the Teranga Lions mauling the favourites to maintain a stranglehold in second position behind the hosts, Team Great Britain.

Goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Moussa Konate secured victory for Senegal, who had previously drawn 1-1 with the British in the opening match.

With Gabon and Egypt struggling for form, Senegal are the best bet to become the first African team to win the Olympics.

Nigeria and Cameroon won the tournament in 1996 and 2000 in the United States and Australia respectively.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s and Cameroon’s women’s teams have crashed out of tournament following successive losses.

Banyana Banyana added another script to South Africa’s football crisis with back-to-back losses against Japan and Canada while Cameroon lost heavily to Brazil and Great Britain.