Beating defenders 1v1 in the final third

When Senegal faced Argentina in their opening game of FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™, the ability of Senegal winger Amara Diouf (10) ability to beat defenders 1v1 in the final third caught the attention of FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG). Despite being just 15 years old, his wizardry with the ball at his feet makes him very difficult to defend against – as ably demonstrated by the fact he scored both goals in Senegal’s 2-1 win.

Pape Thiaw is a member of the TSG at this tournament and has personal experience of coaching Diouf, meaning he is perfectly placed to analyse some of the Senegalese youngster’s outstanding attributes. As he explains: 

“Despite his young age, [Diouf] is a good leader especially in the technical aspects of his game. He has enormous qualities, including his speed, power, dribbling and attacking intention when he has the ball. He sees the goal early and has the confidence and impeccable footwork to take defenders on.” 

Amara Diouf’s performance against Argentina was particularly eye-catching, and the data collected by FIFA’s Football Performance and Insights underscores Thiaw’s observations. He was clearly his side’s most potent attacking outlet in the final third; for instance, he received the ball in this area no less than 15 times, a remarkable statistic considering that his team only had 30% possession in this match. He also made 13 final third entries with the ball, which was more than any other player in the game and demonstrated just how effective the left-sided winger was in progressing the ball for his team. In addition, he was Senegal’s highest-ranked player for progressive ball carries in the match, and he completed the most take-ons of any player on the pitch.

Crucially, Diouf was able to do all this work for his team even operating in tight spaces and under pressure from opposition players. As Pascal Zuberbühler noted, “He was brilliant 1v1 because he can use both feet. Defenders do not know which way he will go when he dribbles at them. He is so unpredictable, because he can cut inside or go outside and cross, and he can do everything with great control and accuracy with his left and right foot. He is so powerful and fast and gives defenders no chance to react. But he is also intelligent when he engages defenders and recognises when to play team-mates in. His work rate is exceptional both with and without the ball.”

In the game against Argentina, Diouf was subject to more pressure from opposition players than anyone else in a green jersey. He was also the game’s most fouled player and recorded the highest number of sprints (61), on top of scoring two goals.

The clips below show just how prominent an outlet Diouf was for his team, and provide striking proof of both his devastating dribbling ability and the power of his shots. His performance against Argentina made him the obvious choice for the Player of the Match Award, and reminded the world exactly why he was top scorer at the U-17 CAF Africa Cup of Nations earlier in 2023.