Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly has lauded the performance of Krepin Diatta following his display in their 2-0 victory over Tanzania in their opening 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.
The 20-year-old was handed his fourth appearance by coach Aliou Cisse in the absence of Liverpool forward Sadio Mane who was suspended for the game due to accumulated yellow cards in the qualifiers.
Diatta rewarded Cisse's faith in him by sealing the Teranga Lions’ victory with a stunning strike from 18-yards after Keita Balde’s opener.
The youngster was recognised for his effort after he was named the Man of the Match and Napoli defender Koulibaly is delighted with the impact of the Club Brugge player.
“Of course yes. He is a talented player. We know that already. He is one of the young players in the team that will develop with time,” Koulibaly told Goal.
“I am happy for him. I am happy that he won the Man of the Match today. He is a young man that works very hard and heeds to instructions.
“He deserves what he achieved today: the goal and the Man of the Match. It's all good but you have to remain humble.”
With the victory over the East Africans, Senegal are now joint-leaders of Group C with three points along with Algeria who defeated Kenya by the same 2-0 scoreline in their opener.
The Teranga Lions will hope to continue their impressive form when they take on the Desert Foxes at the 30 June Stadium, Cairo on Thursday.
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