Many thought it would be a routine win for Senegal as they faced Group L bottom-seeded Benin – however the Cheetahs surprised everyone with a sturdy fight until the final whistle. Even statistically Benin were not far behind the reigning African champions in term of shots on goal or possession. But that’s the beauty of football – sometimes the underdogs utilize their changes against the favourites and get rewarded for brave performaces.It may have looked like Senegal were headed to another three points at the end of the first half when centre defender Abdoulaye Seck reacted quickly and directed the ball behind Dijon’s goalie Saturnin Allagbe.📺 Benin 0-1 Senegal | Goal: Abdoulaye Seckpic.twitter.com/CX0OIOv4Od— FootColic ⚽️ (@FootColic) June 17, 2023 Senegal’s starstudded attacking trio Sadio Mane-Nicolas Jackson-Ismaila Sarr gave everyone an impression ahead of the match that this could be an easy win but German strategist Gernot Rohr prepared his men well.Apart from not crashing down in spirit after the conceded goal, the Cheetahs showed they can not only stop conceding but equalize against the Teranga Lions. In the 78th minute, a proper rocket flew past QPR custodian Seny Dieng and tore the net, courtesy of Abdoul Moumini.📺 Benin 1-1 Senegal | Goal: Rachid MouminiGoal of the night 🚀🚀🚀pic.twitter.com/0suT0P61oD— FootColic ⚽️ (@FootColic) June 17, 2023 Even though the result does not mean much for eather of the team result-wise (Senegal sit confidently at the top of the group with 13 points while Benin collected only three with this one tonight) this must mean a lot for tonight’s host from the motivating point of view – now they know they can hold off the best on the continent. As far as Aliou Cisse’s crew – this will be a slap in the face they need if they want to stay the best on the continent. In order for someone else not to take over the throne they are sitting in at the moment – they need to show their best in every single match.AFCON2023Q: South Africa stun Morocco to go top in Group KElsewhere, two bottom teams of group J faced each other in Francistown and the Zebras did what had to be done to defend their honor. Gape Mohutsiwa’s goal at the brink of the first half was enough to bring Lybia down. Botswana are now third with four points while Mediterranean Knights stand at a single point after five rounds.Earlier during the day, the two squads that secured top spots in the same group, Equatorial Guinea and Tunisia, ended their clash with the North Africans leaving Malabo defeated 1-0.AFCON2023Q: Zambia thrash Ivory Coast to seal qualificationAFRICA CUP OF NATIONSQualifiers – Round 5SaturdayCentral Africa – Angola 1-2 (0-1)/Kondogbia 46 – Gaspar 12, Milson 86/Zambia – Ivory Coast 3-0 (1-0)/Aurier 31 og, Daka 28, Kangwa 31/Lesotho – Comoros 0-1 (0-0)/M’Changama 90/South Africa – Morocco 2-1 (1-0)/Munir 5 og, Lepasa 48- Ziyech 60/Equatorial Guinea – Tunisia 1-0 (0-0)/Nsue 85p/Botswana – Libya 1-0 (1-0)/Mahutsiwa 45/Benin – Senegal 1-1 (0-1)/Mounimi 79 – Seck 42/Sunday16:00: (2.40) Rwanda (3.10) Mozambique (3.20)16:00: (2.05) Tanzania (3.20) Niger (4.00)17:00: (7.50) Madagascar (3.50) Ghana (1.57)18:00: (4.20) Eswatini (3.20) Togo (2.00)18:00: (4.40) Uganda (3.35) Algeria (1.90)19:00: (7.25) Sierra Leone (4.40) Nigeria (1.45)19:00: (2.40) Cape Verde (3.10) Burkina Faso (3.20)19:00: (4.10) Congo (3.15) Mali (2.05)21:00: (2.30) Gabon (3.10) Dr Congo (3.40)***odds are subject to change***
