Uganda 0 Senegal 1: Sadio Mane strike sends Senegal into quarterfinals

Sadio Mane scored and missed a penalty as Senegal scraped past Uganda to reach the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sadio Mane struck the only goal of the contest, in the 15th minute.

Sadio Mane fired Senegal through to the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals as it saw off Uganda 1-0 in Cairo.

The Liverpool striker is targeting more silverware after helping his club side land Champions League glory, and Mane's first-half strike carried his nation past awkward opposition. Mane missed a second-half penalty after he had been clattered, but his earlier clinical finish proved enough.

Senegal, for whom this was an eighth win in its last nine games, will next face Benin which earned a shock 4-1 penalties win against Morocco following a 1-1 draw earlier on Friday.

In a sign of things to come, Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango bolted out of his penalty area and knocked Ismaila Sarr to the ground in the early stages, with Senegal urging the referee to show a red card. He opted for yellow.

Uganda, runner-up in 1978, fell behind in the 15th minute when Mane charged into the penalty area and beat Onyango with a low left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner.

Like a boss #TotalAFCON2019#UGASENpic.twitter.com/JLD4biELVU

— CAF (@CAF_Online) July 5, 2019

 

Farouk Miya looked to carry some threat for Uganda, but it lacked a cutting edge and should have been 2-0 down by the hour mark. Onyango charged off his line and mistimed a lunging tackle in his penalty area, sending Mane sprawling. It looked a foul worthy of a second yellow card, but the goalkeeper instead appeared to be given a final warning.

Mane went for the right corner again, but Onyango guessed correctly and pushed the ball away.

The miss almost proved costly, with Uganda going close to equalising in spectacular fashion when Allan Kateregga drove a 30-yard free-kick towards goal. The ball was struck firmly and heading inside the right post, but Alfred Gomis threw himself across goal to make a fine, priceless save.

 

KEY OPTA FACTS

- Senegal has won its first knockout stage game in the Africa Cup of Nations since February 2006, a quarterfinal victory over Guinea (3-2).
- Uganda has won only one of its last eight Africa Cup of Nations games (D2 L5), after winning three of the previous four (L1).
- No player has tried (37) nor completed (13) more crosses in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations than Miya. 
- No player has taken (four) nor missed (two) more penalties than Sadio Mane in the Africa Cup of Nations since Opta began analysing the competition in 2010.  
- Sadio Mane has scored Senegal's last three goals in the Africa Cup of Nations.