SENEGAL AND MOROCCO ADVANCE TO QUARTERFINALS IN DRAMA-FILLED AFCON
SENEGAL GET PAST NINE MEN CAPE VERDE
2019 Africa Cup of Nations finalists Senegal qualified for the quarterfinals after beating 9-men Cape Verde 2-0 on Tuesday night. The Lions of Teranga came into the game at Stade Omnisports de Bafoussam having scored just one goal in their last three matches. Liverpool’s Sadio Mane scored the first and only for Senegal in the tournament in their Group B opener against Zimbabwe, a penalty during injury-time that turned out to be the winner. The Lions of Teranga would take 245 minutes between that goal and the next as they ended their Group games with 0-0 draws against Guinea and Malawi.
Senegal’s appearance in the tournament final in Cairo two and a half years ago was the closest the West African nation has ever come to lifting the Cup of Nations trophy. The no.1 ranked team on the continent by FIFA came into the game with confidence and started brightly, looking for Sadio Mane with long balls over the top.
Cape Verde ranked 53 places below Senegal. However, they proved resilient against the Senegalese despite going a man down in the first 21 minutes. 28-year-old Cape Verdean midfielder Patrick Andrade, who plays for Qarabag in Azerbaijan, was sent off after a tackle on Senegal’s Papa Alassane Gueye in which the follow-through caught the 23-year-old Marseille midfielder on the shin. Algerian referee Lahlou Benbraham consulted the pitch-side monitor after being advised by VAR and changed his initial yellow card to a straight red.
The Blue Sharks went down to 10 men but remained solid and went into the break without conceding.
The Creoles’ night went from bad to worse in the second half as the referee handed Cape Verdean captain Jose Vozinha a straight red card in the 57th minute after the goalkeeper came out from within the area, missed the ball and nearly knocked out a galloping Sadio Mane. Both players stayed on the ground and Vozinha appeared to be concussed as he looked groggy while standing up. Vozinha then stirred up some drama as he tried to fight off medicals and teammates as they tried to get him off the field, insisting that he was fit to carry on. VAR advised referee Lahlou Benbraham to consult the pitch side monitor regarding the collision and after a look, the ref decided to send Vozinha off. Cape Verde were down to nine men.
Senegal eventually got their goal six minutes later from an incredible Sadio Mane effort that went in through the inside of the post, their second goal at the tournament and Mane’s second at AFCON 2021. The Liverpool star was immediately subbed off on concussion precautions leaving his side in front and in control. Senegal continued to press on for a second goal and were disappointed by their inability to finish off chances with 21-year-old Bamba Dieng spinning chance after chance. They weren’t to be denied, however, as Famara Diedhou and Dieng caught the Blue Sharks on the break. Diedhou set up Dieng and the Marseille forward coolly slotted the ball past Cape Verde’s second-choice goalkeeper Marcio Rosa scored in injury time.
The Lions of Teranga marched into the last eight and were boosted by news that their teammate, Sadio Mane, avoided major injury and will be available to play on Sunday. The Sedhiou native took a picture in hospital after the game with Jose Vozinha and it seems like both players will be okay.
MOROCCO COME BACK TO WIN AGAINST GUTSY MALAWI
The Atlas Lions had to come back from a goal down to win against Malawi at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in a hotly contested game on Tuesday night. Orlando Pirates forward and Malawi’s star man, Hellings Frank “Gabadinho” Mhango put the southern African nation in front inside the first ten minutes with an absolute stunner of a goal. After being set up by John Banda, Gabadinho had only one thought in mind as he hit the ball from 40 yards out. The ball went flying into the net and past Yassine Bounou in goal and was immediately heralded as a contender for Goal of the Tournament by fans online.
The Moroccans, however, were unrelenting and pressed for an equalizer. They got their goal just before halftime through Youssef En-Nesyri. The Sevilla forward rose highest and banged the ball into the back of the net past Malawian goalkeeper Charles Thom who had done well to keep his side in the match with some good saves.
Morocco continued to dominate against the 129th-ranked nation and found their winner in the 70th minute in outstanding fashion, through a freekick from Paris St Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi. Definitely a contender for Goal of the Tournament, Hakimi curled the ball into the back of the net from the right flank and past a scrambling Charles Thom sending viewers into a state of mixed disbelief and euphoria and staking his claim as one of the best fullbacks in the world.
The former Real Madrid man has now scored back-to-back freekicks at the tournament making him the first person to score two freekicks in a single Africa Cup of Nations tournament since former Real Madrid and Chelsea midfielder Njitap Geremi for Cameroon in 2008. Fellow Paris St Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe commented on the freekick saying that Achraf Hakimi is the best right-back in the world.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero