Senegal has dashed Cameroon’s hopes to the round of 16 stage in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2024 in Ivory Coast.
The reigning African champions, The Lions of Teranga, beat the Cameroon side 3-1, a direct entry to the knockout stages.
In the thrilling Group B match, Ismaila Sarr opened the scoring in the first half, beating Andre Onana with the help of a deflection.
Habib Diallo hit the net making it the second goal of the Lions of Teranga, taking the lead after the break.
Cameroon struggles to equalise Senegal’s goals
Cameroonian came back to the game in the 83rd minute by Jean-Charles Castelletto after a corner, overpowering Eduardo Mendy.
Despite a good comeback in the 2nd half, Cameroon were unable to beat the defending champions. Al Nassr forward Sadio Mane scored at the last minutes of the game sealing the win for Senegal.
Senegal topped Group B with six points after beating Gambia in the opening match. Five-time champion Cameroon’s hopes of progress hinge on beating Gambia and hoping for a favour from Senegal against Guinea in their final group games on Tuesday.
Before the match Senegal’s coach Coach Aliou Cisse expressed the importance of entering the competition with a victory, saying ahead of today’s game that his team is ready to defend its title.
“We know Cameroon well, and it is a strong African team,” he asserted as he still backed his players to win.
Will Senegal defend title?
The defending champions are eager to retain the title after the showdown with the Cameroon side.
Lion’s of Teranga Ismaila Sarr is the man of the match after an impressive play. Aliou Cisse boys’ will play Guinea in their next game on Tuesday 23rd.
While Cameroon is still hopeful to make it to the next round, a win in their favour against Gambia, and a draw between Senegal and Ghana is an advantage to them.
Senegal will meet Black Stars who are looking for a win to sail through to the round of 16. However, Senegal has shown an impressive and determined set, making it a match to watch.
Senegal once again finished as runners-up in 2019, losing the final 0–1 to Algeria. The nation finally won its first AFCON title in 2021, defeating Egypt on penalties in the final.
Tanzania suffers 3-0 against Morocco
Meanwhile, African football powerhouse and the first-ever African country to reach the World Cup semi-final, Morocco, sent a strong message to every team participating in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.
Morocco humiliated Tanzania’s side Taifa Stars 3-0 on Wednesday, January 17, showing they are a team to watch in the race to the AFCON 2024 prize money.
After displaying a magnificent show in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Walid Regragui’s men injured Adel Amrouche’s side’s dignity and bowed to the fact that his technical plan massively failed, immediately after the shame.
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