Senegal strolls past Gambia to begin AFCON title defence

Africa Cup of Nations reigning Champions; Senegal, commenced their title defence with a comfortable 3-0 victory over 10-man Gambia to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to eight matches.

The Terenga Lions made an early commanding start to the game by grabbing their first goal within the opening four minutes when captain Sadio Mane made the most of a loose ball to set up Pape Gueye who converted clinically from a promising position.

Sadio Mané has scored or assisted 𝟰𝟴% of Senegal’s goals over the last three AFCON tournaments ⚽️🅰️

The main man 🤩 pic.twitter.com/AAPBb3PTqT

— LiveScore (@livescore) January 15, 2024

A few minutes before the end of the first half, the Scorpions of Gambia had their best chance at goal, but Ali Sowe couldn’t direct his close-range header on target—A miss that preceded their unredeemable undoing.

Ebou Adams saw a straight red, a few seconds before the first half’s final whistle—for a reckless challenge on Lamine Camara, a development that made the Senegalese triumph all but certain.

Aliou Cisse’s men wasted no time in leveraging their numerical advantage, as the defending champions grabbed their second goal in the 52nd minute when Camara dutifully slotted Ismaila Sarr’s through-ball into the net.

20-year-old Lamine Camara put the icing on his MOTM performance by completing a brace in the 86th minute with a mouthwatering strike to secure a convincing victory for the Terenga Lions who’ll be looking to become the fourth nation in AFCON history to lift the title back-to-back.