There were celebrations last night for Werder’s African internationals: Sambou Yatabaré (Mali) and Fallou Diagne (Senegal) played their final qualifier for the Africa Cup of Nations at the weekend and were able to book their places at the tournament finals with their respective national teams.
Senegal had already secured qualification prior to their match, but that didn’t hold them back as they won their sixth qualifier in six with a 2-0 victory over Namibia. Werder central defender Fallou Diagne featured for the entire 90 minutes and played a key role in helping Senegal keep a clean sheet.
In contrast, Sambou Yatabaré impressed in attack. The 27-year-old midfielder scored from a corner to put his country 1-0 up in an exciting performance that sent his team on the road to victory. Mali came out on top with a 5-2 victory against Benin and earned themselves a second place finish in the group. The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Gabon.
Werder’s Czech internationals Theo Gebre Selassie and Jaroslav Drobny made a solid start to their World Cup qualifying campaign. The Czech Republic, who will most likely pose Germany’s biggest challenge in the group, played out a goalless draw against Northern Ireland, dropping some potentially important points. Gebre Selassie and Drobny were in head coach Karel Jarolim’s squad but did not feature for the Czechs.
Another one for the future at Werder was called into action at the weekend for his national team. Denmark beat Armenia in their first qualifier 1-0, with Werder’s January signing Thomas Delaney being brought on in the 81st minute.
Mali vs. Benin including Yatabaré’s goal (00:34)
