Guinea happy to secure slim CHAN win against Niger – Camara

Guinea national team coach Souleymane Camara has welcomed their slim 1-0 victory against Niger in their opening fixture of the the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) at Namboole Stadium in Kampala on Monday.

The Syli Nationale’s win was sealed after Mohamed Bangoura II found the back of the net following a VAR review. The breakthrough came just two minutes into the second half. Guinea winger Alhassane Bangoura whipped in a low cross from the left and Bangoura II reacted first, steering a composed right-footed finish into the bottom corner.

“We came prepared with a different strategy and young players who gave their all,” Camara said at the post match press conference as quoted by CAFOnline.com. “We had a few experienced players who couldn’t play, but I believe that with hard work, we will achieve good results.”

On managing to score only one goal in the game, he said: “We managed to secure the three points. Naturally, we are happy with the result — our goal is always to win, no matter how much — and we’ll correct our mistakes to improve.”

Guinea’s next assignment will be against tournament hosts Uganda, and Camara is already focused on improving cohesion and tactical discipline before that key Group C clash.

While the result gave Guinea an early edge in a highly competitive Group C, which also includes hosts Uganda, Algeria, and South Africa, it was a frustrating start to Niger’s fifth CHAN appearance, especially after a promising fourth-place finish in 2022.