Three years later, they will again be at the final rendezvous. Thanks to two goals from two residents of Ligue 1, the Marseillais Bamba Dieng and the Parisian Abdou Diallo, and an achievement from its leader Sadio Mané, Senegal won its ticket for the final of the CAN 2022, Wednesday February 2 against Burkina Faso (3-1). A third final in the competition is looming after a very sluggish start.
At the end of a complicated and very poor offensive group phase (only one goal from the penalty spot in three games), the rating of Alliou Cissé’s players had skyrocketed among the bookmakers, as the final victory seemed so far away. It must be said that the unfortunate finalist of the 2019 edition presented little certainty despite a plethoric workforce.
In one of the weakest groups of the competition, Senegal miraculously got away with a single victory against Zimbabwe, won in the 97th minute on a penalty from their captain, Sadio Mané. After this initial success, the Lions of Teranga had offered two soporific draws and virgins against Guinea and then Malawi. Five points are still enough to finish at the top of group B and reach the final phase.
#TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 |#AFCON2021 | #TeamSenegal pic.twitter.com/Tz7CjJ9GWL
— FSF (@Fsfofficielle) February 2, 2022
But in a competition largely sponsored by Total Energies, Senegal fooled everyone by playing diesel. The round of 16 against Cape Verde? A perfect quagmire, won late on thanks to the numerical inferiority of valiant Blue Sharks. It was finally the quarter-final against Equatorial Guinea which, it seems, tipped Senegal into the camp of potential champions.
At the end of a game controlled from start to finish, the teammates of Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly once again validated their ticket for the semi-finals. A penultimate step, once again crossed almost without incident, after having exhausted Burkina Faso. After stammering at the start, Senegal is now rolling over everyone, heading for the final.
Already on paper, it was one of the finest squads of this CAN: one of the best goalkeepers in the world (Edouard Mendy), a high-quality central hinge (Kalidou Koulibaly-Abdou Diallo), players experienced (Bouna Sarr, Idrissa Gueye) and especially Sadio Mané. Author of a new goal and a decisive pass on Wednesday, the Red still splashed the meeting of its class in the same way as Mohamed Salah or Vincent Aboubakar during this edition.
Difficult to find adjectives to define the Liverpool winger and the savior of Senegal. The only goal of the group stage? It’s him. The decisive goal to launch his own against Cape Verde? It’s him. The one to kill the semi-final? Him again. In addition to scoring, the 2019 Champions League winner has also turned into a decisive passer twice.
If he does not carry Senegal alone on his back, he undeniably contributes to making others shine. Another way to lead your selection as a leader. On Sunday, he will be Aliou Cissé’s n°1 asset in an attempt to bring a first trophy to Dakar after defeats in 2002 and 2019. It will be against the winner of the match between Cameroon and Egypt, two sacred monsters of the continent.