Tournament favourites Senegal clinched top spot in Group D at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Morocco with a dominant 2-0 win over Benin Republic on Tuesday night, SportPremi Reports.
Abdoulaye Seck opened the scoring in the first half, before Habib Diallo doubled their advantage in the second half as they sealed victory despite being reduced to 10-men after Kalidou Koulibaly’s red card.
The Lions of Teranga pipped DR Congo to first position in the group despite the Leopards 3-0 win over Botswana in the other group clash.
First half: Seck gives Senegal first half advantage
Senegal headed into the clash against Benin Republic in first place, but needed to better DR Congo’s result against Botswana to retain the position after 90 minutes.
Both sides traded chances to score, but it was the table-toppers who snatched the lead in the 38th minute through Abdoulaye Seck’s header.
The goal survived a VAR check for a foul in the buildup as they took a one-goal lead into the break
Second half: Diallo and Ndiaye complete rout
The second half started with Senegal dominating proceedings and they doubled their tally just after the hour mark through Diallo.
The forward collected a pass from Sadio Mane and beat his marker before firing into the net to out his side 2-0 up.
They were reduced to 10-men few minutes later as captain Koulibaly was sent off for a dangerous tackle after VAR upgraded his initial yellow card to a red card.
Cherif Ndiaye added a third in stoppage-time from the penalty spot to seal a comfortable 3-0 win.
Players Ratings:
Benin Republic Players Ratings
- Dandjinou – 6.3/10
- Ourou – 5.5/10
- Verdon – 5.8/10
- Tijani – 6.2/10
- Roche – 6.4/10
- Imourane – 6.2/10
- Samadou – 5.8/10
- Tosin – 5.9/10
- Dodo – 6.5/10
- Olaitan – 6.7/10
- Mounie – 6.1/10
Senegal Players Ratings
- Mendy – 8.4/10
- Diouf – 7.6/10
- Koulibaly – 6.6/10
- Seck – 8.1/10
- Diatta – 8.2/10
- Camara – 6.8/10
- Gueye – 7.5/10
- Sarr – 6.9/10
- Mane – 8.0/10
- Diallo – 7.7/10
- Ndiaye – 7.0/10
Substitutes
- Ndiaye – 7.0/10
- Mbaye – 7.0/10
- Diarra – 6.9/10
- Sarr – 6.1/10
Man of the match
Benjamin Mendy (8.4/10) – The Senegal goalkeeper made four superb saves in the clash and kept another clean sheet to guide his side to a dominant win
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Benin 49% – 51% Senegal
Total Shots: Benin 6 – 10 Senegal
Shots on target: Benin 4 – 6 Senegal
Pass Accuracy: Benin 82% – 84% Senegal
Corners: Benin 4 – 4 Senegal
What Next?
Senegal advance to the round of 16 where they will now face Sudan or Burkina Faso on the 3rd of January.
