Benin yesterday woke up still pinching themselves after an extraordinary win at the Africa Cup of Nations as they rode their luck to eliminate highly favored Morocco on penalties in the last 16.
“We dream of victories every day and I believe we can continue this beautiful dream,” coach Michel Dussuyer said after the small nation won 4-1 on penalties after holding Morocco to a 1-1 draw following extra-time on Friday.
Benin achieved success despite conceding a last-gasp penalty after the end of 90 minutes, which Morocco missed, and then playing most of the extra-time period down to 10 men.
Photo: AFP
“This is the greatest achievement in the history of Benin football,” said veteran striker Mikael Pote, who was on the squad when Benin last competed at the tournament in Angola nine years ago. “We’ve come down to earth a little, even if the emotion is still high. What we did was historic, it was beautiful.”
“We showed that we were really a group. We know that in terms of quality, we do not have the best team, but our solidarity, the human relationships, as well as our confidence, have proven to be very important things,” he said.
One of the more relieved at the victory was captain Stephane Sessegnon, whose tired-looking tackle in the fourth minute of stoppage-time handed Morocco a chance to secure a come-from-behind 2-1 win before extra-time.
The clumsy challenge was such an obvious penalty that none of the Benin players disputed the decision, but Hakim Ziyech missed the chance to win the game for Morocco.
Benin, who had only squeezed into the knockout stage after drawing all three of their group games, are up against Senegal in Wednesday’s quarter-final, which Dussuyer said was also winnable.
“I try to teach my players a winning philosophy and we can still go further,” he said.
SENEGAL 1, UGANDA 0
Senegal forward Sadio Mane continued his hit-and-miss tournament when he scored his third goal of the competition, but also missed a penalty for the second game running as his side on Friday beat Uganda 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals.
Mane broke the deadlock in the 15th minute of a physical game after Senegal pounced on a mistake by Uganda, who were in the knockout stages for the first time in 41 years.
However, he squandered the chance to give Senegal some breathing space when his spot-kick was saved by goalkeeper Denis Onyango in the 61st minute of a game that featured 45 fouls.
Outsiders Uganda, whose players were involved in a pay dispute with their federation in the run-up to the game, gave Senegal a stern test at a near-deserted Cairo International Stadium.
Mane has now taken three penalties in the finals, missing one and converting one in the 3-0 win over Kenya before missing again on Friday.
However, Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said that he would remain Senegal’s penalty taker.
“As the captain, he has our confidence and he will stay the No. 1 for penalties,” Cisse said. “I will have a talk with him about it.”
Onyango’s habit of charging off his line had Ugandan nerves on edge throughout the game.
He first raced out of his area in the fourth minute and felled Ismaila Sarr with a wild lunge, earning a yellow card and leading to a scuffle as Senegal remonstrated.
It was an even game until Godfrey Walusimbi lost possession in the Uganda midfield and Senegal quickly moved the ball to Mane, who glided past his marker and planted a left-foot shot past Onyango.
Onyango made another foray out of his area and was caught as Sarr ran around him, but the goalkeeper rescued himself with a last-ditch tackle.
After a scrappy start to the second half, he again charged off his line and this time flattened Mane, but Mane’s penalty was saved by the ’keeper who, at that point, was lucky to still be on the field.
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