December 30, (THEWILL) — Senegal advanced to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations following a commanding 3-0 victory over the Benin Republic in Group D.
The reigning champions will progress without captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who received a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Aiyegun Tosin during the second half.
The win confirmed Senegal’s position at the top of their group.
The opening goal arrived late in the first half when Abdoulaye Seck met Krepin Diatta’s free-kick with a powerful header into the far corner.
Senegal doubled their advantage after the interval through Habib Diallo, who fired into the roof of the net from a cutback by Sadio Mane.
Set pieces remained a constant threat throughout, with Seck going close on multiple occasions.
Koulibaly’s dismissal in the 71st minute followed a lengthy VAR review and offered Benin a route back into the contest.
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy denied Junior Olaitan’s free-kick immediately afterwards, tipping the effort over the crossbar. The 10 men of Senegal limited Benin to just two further attempts on goal.
A late counter-attack saw Ibrahim Mbaye fouled inside the area, and Cherif Ndiaye converted the resulting penalty to complete the scoring.
The victory ensured Senegal finished top of Group D ahead of the round of 16.
Elsewhere in the group, D.R. Congo joined Senegal in the next round with a 3-0 triumph over Botswana.
Nathanael Mbuku opened the scoring before former Chelsea midfielder Gael Kakuta added two goals to seal progression.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.