Mauritania goalkeeper Babacar Niasse has dedicated his Man of the Match award to his teammates after their historic win over Algeria in the last Cup of Nations group game on Tuesday.
The goalkeeper pulled great saves to keep Mauritania in the game after they took the lead in the first half.
Niasse dedicated his award to the entire team and expressed gratitude to the people of Mauritania.
“I am very proud to have this trophy. I think this is collective for us. This for all of us even though I have the trophy but it is for all of us because we prepared this together.
“I was extremely proud. I will like to thank Mauritania for giving me this opportunity. I am very proud to represent my country,” he said. The win is Mauritania’s first in Afcon history. However, Niasse says he knew game was going to be difficult.
“We knew this game was going to be difficult but we knew we could do something,” he indicated. “I will try and learn from my errors and improve.”
Meanwhile, Senegal defender Abdoulaye Seck was happy to pick the Man of the Match award after contributing to the team’s 2-0 Group C match victory over Guinea at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro on Tuesday.
The hard-tackling defender, who not only assisted in keeping a clean sheet, but also found the back of the net for his side enroute to them finishing top of the group.
“I thank God, in addition to my teammates, who all contributed to this. I scored my first goal in the Africa Cup of Nations. I am also happy that I was chosen as man of the match. We knew that things would not be easy. We won all our matches in the first round. There are now four matches remaining. We must keep our feet on the ground and continue working.”
The defender also touched on the importance of patience and doing your part in a team.
“I am always patient when I am not playing. I did not participate in any match during the last edition in Cameroon. I was patient and put my trust in the coach and my teammates. I was supportive of the team and kept working hard to play while putting the team first,” he concluded.
