Ismaïla Sarr, the forward for Marseille, played a key role as Senegal, the reigning champions of the Africa Cup of Nations, cruised into the round of 16 with a 3-1 victory against Cameroon.
Sarr’s shot, which was deflected, resulted in his team taking the lead in the 16th minute. He also assisted Diallo, another forward, in scoring after halftime. Sadio Mané secured the win for his team in stoppage time at the Stade Charles Konan Banny, ensuring their advancement from Group C.
Cameroon was slow to react, but eventually Jean-Charles Castelletto scored a header off a cross from Olivier Ntcham in the 83rd minute. Georges-Kévin Nkoudou missed a clear opportunity before Mané’s goal. However, Rigobert Song’s team only has one point going into their final group game against Gambia on Tuesday.
In the 16th minute, Senegal scored when Cameroon’s defense was unable to handle Pape Sarr’s corner. Sarr received the ball again after goalkeeper André Onana punched it to the edge of the box, and he shot it low with his right foot. The shot was slightly deflected by Frank Anguissa and went into the net. This was Onana’s first appearance at the tournament since arriving late from his club, Manchester United.
After the break, the team led by Aliou Cissé continued to dominate the game. However, Olivier Kemen had a chance to score for the opposing team, but his header from a long free-kick went over the goal in the 55th minute. Things got worse for Cameroon when Sarr assisted Diallo for their second goal in the 71st minute. Castelletto’s goal in the 83rd minute gave Song’s team a glimmer of hope, but Nkoudou missed a golden opportunity to equalize in injury time. Finally, Mané secured the win for Cissé’s men.
Cape Verde was the first team to advance to the knockout round after defeating Mozambique 3-0.
A remarkable goal from Bebé, a former player of Manchester United, and two goals from Ryan Mendes in Abidjan secured the top spot in Group B for the Blue Sharks. Mozambique currently holds the last place in the rankings with one point, and will face Ghana in their final group match. Meanwhile, Cape Verde will play against Egypt on Monday.
After surprising everyone with their first win against Ghana, Cape Verde continued to impress in the beginning of the game. Bebé took a powerful free-kick from 30 yards out, hitting the crossbar, but he didn’t give up and managed to score from an even further distance. Despite the seemingly low chance of success, Bebé’s shot from 40 yards out swerved and caught Mozambique’s goalkeeper Ernan Siluane off guard, resulting in a goal.
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After 51 minutes, Mendes increased the Blue Sharks’ lead by stealing the ball from Edmilson Dove and shooting from the box’s edge. His second goal was from 25 yards, a strong shot that flew past Siluane, earning Mendes his 17th international goal.
During the last game of the day, Guinea’s Aguibou Camara scored a goal in the second half, leading his team to a valuable 1-0 win against Gambia in Group C.
Source: theguardian.com
