Thursday, January 31, 2008

Bouna Makes Competitive Debut for Senegal

Bouna Coundoul, the favorite son of the Colorado Rapids, is currently warming up in deepest Ghana and about to play for Senegal in his first ever competitive match for his national team. Just as I have discussed in recent posts, the chances were there that he may get a go. Veteran goalkeeper, Tony Sylva, made mistakes in the previous game against Angola and the coach quit this week, leaving the possibility open that Coundoul would get a game. At least we know now where he is on the pecking order as it was never really clear to outsiders whether he was the back-up to Sylva or the back-up to the back-up. Go Bouna! Do your best, mate, and you could be the number one going forward. Senegal play South Africa today with actually little hope of both sides qualifying for the next stages in the Africa Cup of Nations.

UPDATE: Bouna did let in one goal but apparently had no marking to help him in the defense. He also, according to the BBC, pulled off a "remarkable save" later in the game. Interestingly, former number one choice, Sylva, was found in a Ghana nightclub yesterday. When will they ever learn? Senegal drew with South Africa 1-1, meaning both teams fail to progress to the next round.

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