Senegal vs Cameroon LIVE: Africa Cup of Nations result as Sadio Mane sends champions into next round
Senegal 3-1 Cameroon: Sarr, Diallo and Mane all scored to secure qualifiction for the knockout rounds as the Lions of Teranga defeated Cameroon
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Senegal secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations with an impressive win over Cameroon during their Group C clash.
The Liones of Teranga started the match as the better side and dominated the first half with a controlled and clinical tempo that saw Ismaila Sarr’s deflected strike give them the lead.
A second goal after the break, supplied by Sarr and tapped in by youngster Habib Diallo, seemingly was enough to earn them the win but a blockbuster last 10 minutes from Cameroon threatened an upset.
Jean-Charles Castelletto turned up the heat, pulling a goal back before whipping cross after cross into the box. The Indomitable Lions should have scored an equaliser but were punished after a missed effort. Senegal swept down the pitch and Sadio Mane converted the chance for his first goal of the tournament.
Relive the action below plus get the latest Afcon odds and tips right here:
A force to be reckoned with
The Lions of Teranga are now unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions (four wins, one draw) and have not conceded a single goal in over 450 minutes of play dating back to their 1-0 loss to Algeria in September.
That’s the type of form big teams want to hit heading into major tournaments and Senegal should be contenders to win the trophy again this year.
Senegal’s rising star
At the age of 20 years and 14 days, Lamine Camara etched his name in history as the youngest player to score a brace at the Afcon since Ali Zitouni achieved the feat for Tunisia in 2000 at the age of 19 years and 32 days.
Last time out: Senegal
Senegal got their title defence off to a wonderful start on Monday when they defeated 10-man Gambia and cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win.
The Lions of Teranga took an early lead in the match through a Pape Gueye strike inside the first five minutes, before Lamine Camara netted twice in the second half after Ebou Adams was shown a red card for a poor tackle.
A victory tonight would secure them a place in the next round.
What is the format for Afcon?
There are 24 teams, who can name squads of up to 27 players, which are split into six groups of four.
Senegal have been drawn in Group C with Guinea, Gambia and five-time champions Cameroon for example. They will play each other once and the top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stages.
They will be joined by the four best third-placed sides, which means only one-third of the teams get eliminated in the group stages.
The rest of the tournament will be single-legged knockout ties, culminating in the final on Sunday, February 11.
Cameroon line-up
Cameroon XI: Onana; Tchato, Castelleto, Wooh, Tolo; Neyou, Kemen, Anguissa; Ngamelou, Magri, N’Koudou.
Andre Onana returns in goal for Cameroon while Tchato and Tolo replace Moukoudi and Yongwa in defence. Neyou starts in midfield in place of Ntcham and Ngamaleu starts in the forward line instead of Toko Ekambi.
Senegal line-up
Senegal XI: Mendy; Diatta, Koulibaly, A. Diallo, Jakobs; Camara, P. Sarr, P. Gueye; I. Sarr, H. Diallo, Mane.
There’s just one change to the Senegal team that started their opening fixture as Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr replaces Moussa Niakhaté with Abdou Diallo dropping into the back line.
Senegal vs Cameroon prediction
The defending champions already look fit and firing and should be fancied to get past a Cameroon side who they have not lost against since 2005.
Senegal 3-1 Cameroon.
How to watch Senegal vs Cameroon
The match kicks off on Friday 19 January at 5pm GMT and takes place at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event with coverage starting at 4.55pm GMT.
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Early team news and predicted line-ups
Senegal have no injury concerns following their first game and are expected to name an unchanged starting XI from their tournament opener.
Cameroon, meanwhile, should be boosted by the return of Andre Onana after the Manchester United keeper missed his country’s opening game having arrived late to the tournament. Key striker and captain Vincent Aboubakar remains a doubt having missed out against Guinea due to a thigh injury.
Predicted line-ups
Senegal XI: Mendy; Koulibaly, Diallo, Niakhate; Diatta, Camara, Gueye, Jakobs; Sarr, Diallo, Mane.
Cameroon XI: Onana; Castelleto, Wooh, Moukoudi, Yongwa; Ntcham, Kemen, Anguissa; Magri, Toko Ekambi, N’Koudou.
Senegal vs Cameroon
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s big Africa Cup of Nations clash between the reigning champions Senegal and five time winners Cameroon.
The two nations go toe-to-toe in a group stage encounter that could see the Lions of Teranga safely through to the knockout rounds should they triumph.
Meanwhile, with Cameroon two points behind in the table a victory is a must and would ease the any pressure they feel having started their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Guinea.
We’ll have all the team news, updates and match action throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 5pm.
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