By Aiwu Esele
Defending Champion, Senegal progressed to the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-1 thrashing of Cameroon.
Marseille striker, Ismaila Sarr, opened scoring for the champions in the 16th minute with a deflected strike after the Cameroon defence failed to deal with a corner.
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon created no chances in the first half and struggled to contain Senegal’s attacking talent. Six minutes before halftime, Sarr played in Sadio Mané but his effort was blocked by Enzo Tchato.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Senegal continuing to control proceedings. Sarr turned provider in the 71st minute when his low cross was converted by Habibou Diallo to make it 2-0. Cameroon finally got on the scoresheet through Jean-Charles Castelletto’s 83rd minute header but Georges-Kevin Nkoudou missed a golden late chance to equalise. Mané then sealed a comfortable Lioness of Teranga victory in added time.
With progression to the last 16 now secured ahead of their final group match against Gambia, manager Aliou Cisse will be delighted with his side’s commanding performance. For Cameroon manager, Rigobert Song, advancement hangs delicately in the balance with just one point from two matches.
