Senegal
Casa Sports players and fans erupted into celebration after the club won its third Senegal Cup against FC Diambars on Saturday.
The triumph comes after a decade of setbacks and near misses, having lost three finals in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
"We feel great satisfaction, a great pleasure because we have fans who are the best in Senegal. We must give them satisfaction because we work for them, the team belongs to the fans, it belongs to Aller Casa. Yes, it is a successful season for Casa," said Ansoumana Diadhiou, Casa's head coach.
The club from southern Senegal's Casamance region owes its success in Saturday's finals to the wit and versatility of their captain Aliou Diatta. But they also have their goalkeeper to thank for the decisive saves against an unrelenting Diambars side.
"We had four, three clear chances, we didn't put one in. But you know, high-level soccer is about efficiency in both penalty areas, that is to say in ours, but we were not because we gave them the goal. And in theirs where we did not score. In finals, you have to be effective in both penalty areas and we lacked that today," lamented Diambar coach Bruno Rohart.
Diambars have no time to mourn their loss though. They will be hoping to weaponize their misery when they face Nigeria's Enyimba in the CAF Cup on October 16.
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