Mane equals goals history as Senegal go to the Afcon final
Key takeaways:
- 'Crucial to go all the track and triumph it.'
- Senegal is across to their third Africa Cup of Nations final with Sadio Mane on the mark to assist them in crushing Burkino Faso.
Sadio Mane takes Senegal to the Afcon final:
In an eventful match, VAR chalked off two Senegal penalties, with Burkina Faso goalie Herve Koffi wounded during the first.
Abdou Diallo and Idrissa Gueye put Senegal in control before Blati Toure limited the deficit late on.
But Mane chipped in to clinch the win for the tournament dears.
Mane's 29th goal for his nation was carrying him level with Henri Camara at the top of their all-time scorer list.
Senegal will meet Egypt or hosts Cameroon in Sunday's final (19:00 GMT).
Burkina Faso will take an interest in the third/fourth-place play-off, which has been carried forward a day to Saturday (also kicking off at 19:00).
"It offers you the momentum we have," stated Mane. "We knew it was not going to be at all comfortable to get to two consecutive Afcon finals, but the most significant for us now is to go all the way and win it, whoever we come up against."
"We were up against a flawless Burkina side who drove us a lot of difficulties."
"We anticipated a challenging match, and it was, but we remained peaceful and made lots of opportunities. I think we deserved to succeed."
"I think you can see on my face how glad I am, which is quite normal. I am proud personally and very joyful for myself, my teammates, and the nation."
Superior Senegal shatters Burkina Faso's unwavering determination
Just four minutes into the match at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Cameroon's capital Yaounde, a severe hit of heads following a fully-committed 50-50 challenge between Nampalys Mendy and Cyrille Bayala.