AFCON Champs, Senegal Stunt Brazil 4-2 In Friendly
- Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane grabs brace
Reigning African champions, Teranga Lions of Senegal were in extraordinary form on Tuesday night stunning star-studded Brazil 4-2 in an international friendly match.
The AFCON title holders overcame an early goal with Bayern Munich star, Sadio Mane scoring a brace to help Senegal record an historic victory over the South American giants.
Proceedings began on a fast note with Real Madrid’s in-form winger Vinicius Junior assisting Lucas Paqueta for an 11th-minute opener in the match played inside the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, Portugal.
Pathe Ciss was adjudged to have committed a foul in the danger zone in the 17th minute, but after a VAR review, referee Gustavo Correia reversed the decision to hand the Samba Boys a penalty.
After about 22 minutes, the Lions’ Habib Diallo pounced on a loose ball in the box to ensure both teams went to the break on level terms.
On resumption of play, the African champions shot into the lead in the 54th minute when Marquinhos turned the ball into his own net.
And two minutes later, Diallo set up Bayern Munich winger Sadio Mane who produced a wonderful strike to make it 3-1 in favour of the West Africans.
The 58th minute saw Marquinhos making amends for his initial error, capitalizing on poor positioning from the Senegalese goalkeeper, Mory Diaw to reduce the deficit.
The Lions had the last laugh in stoppage time as the South Americans conceded a penalty and Mane stepped up to complete a brace and hand his team a healthy 4-2 win.
So far, the Teranga Lions have been excellent in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
In Group L, the West African side has managed to collect 13 points from the five matches played which has guaranteed them a place in the finals to be held in Ivory Coast.
The Aliou Cisse-led team has not lost any game in the qualifiers, and on matchday six, they will be playing Rwanda to round up their group qualifying series.
Senegal are expected to engage in more international friendly matches as they prepare to defend their AFCON title in Ivory Coast next year.
