For its first men’s football match on Friday at the 2023 Francophonie Games, the U20 team from Benin secured a victory over the host country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a score of 2-0.
Due to the health crisis, the 9th edition of the Francophonie Games was postponed twice. Finally, it began on Friday, July 28th, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Men’s football notably kicked off the festivities with a match between the host country’s U20 team and the young Cheetahs from Benin at the Tata Raphaël Stadium.
In a well-controlled match from start to finish, the young players coached by Mathias Deguenon emerged victorious with a score of 2-0. After a goalless first half, the junior Cheetahs made the difference in the second half. David Tchetchao opened the scoring in the 56th minute, and Bienvenu Vignonou sealed the victory at the 72nd minute.
Thanks to this impressive opening win, Benin starts the competition in style and takes the lead in Group A, which also includes Mali. The next match in this group will see the U20 teams of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali face off on Sunday, July 30th. As for the young Cheetahs, they will return to the pitch on Tuesday, August 1st, against Mali.
