Defending champions Senegal had a dream start at the African Cup of Nations, defeating Gambia 3-0 in a Group C match played at the Yamoussoukro’s Charles Konan Banny Stadium on Monday evening.The Lions of Teranga secured the victory with goals from Pape Gueye and Lamine Camara in a match where Gambia played the entire second half with a man down following Ebou Adam’s dismissal.##NAJAVA_MECA_7796221##Senegal had a dream start as Gueye fired them ahead from a Sadio Mane assist within the first four minutes of the game, setting the pace for what would prove to be a largely one-sided match.Although clear-cut chances were few and far apart after the early opening goal, Musa Barrow had an opportunity to score in the 16th minute, narrowly missing the target. Similarly, Ali Sowe failed to hit the target in the 24th minute from a prime position.Just before the interval, things went from bad to worse for Gambia when Cardiff City midfielder Ebou Adams was dismissed deep into first-half stoppage time, setting up a challenging second half for the Scorpions.Four minutes into the second half, Barrow had a good chance to draw his team level, but he somehow failed to hit the target from a prime position. The miss proved costly when youngster Lamine Camara scored his first AFCON goal in the 52nd minute to double the Teranga Lions’ advantage, with Ismaila Sarr claiming the assist. Habib Diallo missed a chance to make it 3-0 for Senegal four minutes later, with the Mane-led Lions aggressively pursuing further goals.Any hopes of Gambia salvaging something from the game were dashed in the 86th minute when Camara scored a contender for the goal of the tournament from an Iliman Ndiaye assist.Next for Senegal is a game against Cameroon on Friday, while Gambia, on the other hand, will take on Guinea.Chemoge High Altitude Camp at the brink of remarkable transformationAFCON 2023- GROUP STAGESaturdayIvory Coast – Guinea B. 2-0 (1-0)/Fofana 4, Krasso 58/SundayNigeria – Equatorial Guinea 1-1 (1-1)/Osimhen 38 – Salvador 36/Egypt – Mozambique 2-2 (1-0)/Mohamed 2, Salah 90+7 pen – Witi 55, Bauque 58/Ghana – Cape Verde 1-2 (0-1)/Djiku 56 – Monteiro 17, Rodrigues 90+2/MondaySenegal 3-0 Gambia/Gueye 4, Camara 52, 86/20.00: (2.15) Cameroon (3.25) Guinea (3.90)23.00: (1.45) Algeria (4.10) Angola (8.50)Tuesday17.00: (1.75) Burkina Faso (3.60) Mauritania (5.70)20.00: (1.40) Tunisia (4.60) Namibia (10.5)23.00: (2.15) Mali (3.25) S.Africa (3.90)Wednesday20.00: (1.30) Morocco (5.80) Tanzania (12.0)23.00: (2.40) Dr Congo (3.20) Zambia (3.40)***odds are subject to change***
