Giant-killers and one of the surprise teams of the AFCON 2019 tournament, Benin Republic, fairytale run came to an end on Wednesday at the hands of a Sadio Mane inspired Senegal outfit.
Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gueye linked up to break Benin’s resolve as Africa Cup of Nations favourites Senegal earned a 1-0 win in Wednesday’s quarter-final.
Senegal escaped with a slender victory against Uganda in the last 16 and they were again made to work hard to keep their quest for a first AFCON title alive by Benin.
Following a quiet opening hour in Cairo that saw Mane largely shackled, Aliou Cisse’s side stepped things up and found a winner 21 minutes from time through Everton midfielder Gueye.
Mane was denied a goal by VAR four minutes later – the first use of the technology in the tournament – and he then had an attempt kept off the line by Emmanuel Imorou.
Verdon was shown a red card for bringing down Gueye in the 82nd minute as Benin’s first quarter-final appearance ended in defeat.