Senegal on Wednesday advanced to a second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final after breaking Burkina Faso hearts in their semi-final in Yaounde, Abdou Diallo, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Sadio Mane scoring second-half goals to secure a 3-1 victory.
Africa’s top-ranked national team, Senegal were to find out their opponents for Sunday’s final yesterday, when hosts Cameroon were to take on Egypt in the second semi-final.
“We dedicate this win to our people,” Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said. “We are really satisfied this evening. Our objective is to win the trophy because that is what the boys deserve given everything they have put into this.”
Photo: AP
Cisse’s side had two penalties awarded in the first half, only for the Ethiopian referee to change his mind both times following a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
However, they went ahead just after the midway point of the second half when Paris Saint-Germain defender Diallo popped up in the penalty area to produce a striker’s finish.
The second arrived on 76 minutes when Mane provided a superb assist for Gueye, also of PSG, to score.
Mane completed the win late on after Blati Toure had pulled a goal back.
Senegal’s two possible final opponents are the most successful sides in Cup of Nations history with 12 titles between them, while the Lions of Teranga are still searching for their first continental crown, two-and-a-half years after losing to Algeria in the final in Cairo.
“We knew it was not going to be at all easy to get to two straight AFCON finals, but the most important for us now is to go all the way and win it, whoever we come up against,” Mane said.
Senegal’s opponents on Wednesday could not be underestimated.
Burkina Faso had shown themselves to be a talented young side and one driven on by the desire to give joy to supporters in a nation reeling after former president Roch Marc Christian Kabore was overthrown in a military coup last week.
That happened to a backdrop of a militant insurgency in the landlocked nation and their head coach, Kamou Malo, had talked of the events giving his team “added motivation.”
They showed plenty of fight and matched their opponents for long spells, but they did not trouble Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy in the Senegal goal often enough.
Mendy’s opposite number, Herve Koffi, was stretchered off 30 mnutes in after landing horribly as he went up to punch the ball clear in an aerial challenge with Cheikhou Kouyate.
Referee Bamlak Tessema initially gave a spot-kick, before changing his mind after a VAR review, as Kouyate was able to resume, but Koffi could not.
“There is nothing to suggest he is seriously hurt, but he is undergoing further tests just so we can be reassured,” said Malo, who said his side had enjoyed “a wonderful adventure.”
Referee Tessema also pointed to the spot in first-half stoppage-time when a Gueye shot struck the arm of Burkina Faso’s Edmond Tapsoba in the penalty area, but again he changed his mind after a review of the images showed the defender’s arm was close to his body.
The breakthrough arrived with 20 minutes left, Kalidou Koulibaly trying an acrobatic attempt from a corner and inadvertently setting up Diallo to score, beating Burkina Faso substitute goalkeeper Soufiane Farid Ouedraogo.
Senegal’s pressing made the second goal as Mane got to the byline and set up Gueye, who just beat Bamba Dieng to the finish.
It was always going to be a huge ask after that for the Stallions against a Senegal side who had conceded only once in the whole tournament.
They did reduce the deficit eight minutes from time when Issa Kabore’s cross was diverted in by Toure’s knee.
Mane had the final say, though, bursting clear in the 87th minute to make it 3-1.
He was to find out yesterday if he would come up against his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah and Egypt in the final.
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