Congo U20 ace Maurile Bassinga has hailed the ‘strong mentality’ of his team-mates claiming it helped them to overcome their opponents on Monday.
The Congolese earned a nervy 2-1 victory over debutants South Sudan at the TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The Group B clash at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia was a competitive match as both teams were eager to start their campaign on a positive note.
Bassinga broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time before Sousssou Ilendo increased the Red Devils lead from the penalty spot.
His heroics during the game earned him the TotalEnergies Man of the Match award and he praised his colleagues for helping to secure the win.
“I want to thank my teammates for the victory. We gave everything to win the match and I am happy with the result and the award,” Bassinga said at the post-match press conference.
“It is very important to start the competition with a win, it will help us in the upcoming matches in the tournament.”
The Bright Stars of South Sudan pushed their Congolese counterparts to the limits and came close to snatching a famous point.
“We had to be mentally prepared and fight against a good team in South Sudan. Our objective is clear in this competition and we want to achieve that here,” Bassinga added.
Congo will face Uganda in the top of the table clash on Thursday, 23 February at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.
