![Sadio Mane after their AFCON game versus Burkina Faso. [PHOTO CREDIT: AFCON Twitter handle]](https://i2.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2022/02/69135AE3-8102-486A-96C9-1FCF3D0D18D7-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1)
With all the attacking talent at Senegal’s disposal, it was a centre-back, Abdou Diallo that gave the Terenga Lions the lead in the 70th minute, assisted by his central defensive partner, Kalidou Koulibaly from an overhead kick.
In the 76th minute, Sadio Mane chased down a lost cause, won the ball, and squared for Bamba Dieng to score their second. The Stallions halved the deficit but Mane completed the victory with a late third to take the fight out of the Stallions.
In the first half, Senegal just shaded ball possession- 50.5 to 49.5 percent while the Burkinabes had two shots on target to Senegal’s three. Burkina Faso had the good fortune of having two penalty kicks overturned by VAR.
First, in the 29th minute when Burkina Faso goalkeeper Koffi came off his lines and in the process of punching the ball collided with Cheikhou Kouyate. Both men needed treatment and Herve Koffi could not continue and was replaced by Farid Ouedraogo.
In the sixth minute of added time Edmond Tapsoba was adjudged to have handled in the box but that was also overturned by VAR.
The first glimpse of goal in the second half came in the 57th minute when from a ball over the Senegal defence, Bertrand Traore got the run on Koulibaly, and with Edouard Mendy not coming for the ball, the Napoli defender recovered to clear the ball off the Burkina Faso captain.
A corner kick in the 70th minute caused chaos in the Burkina Faso box and after some pinball, the ball was excellently controlled by Diallo before sliding it past Ouedraogo.
Six minutes later, Mane chased down Issoufou Dayo and won the ball, and squared to Dieng for his second goal of the tournament.
It looked over for the Stallions but Ibrahim Blati Toure got on the end of a cutback from Issa Kabore to halve the deficit.
But Mane made sure there were no last-minute jitters when he ran on to a precise pass from Ismaila Sarr and cooly lifted the ball over Ouedraogo to seal the Lions’ place in the final.
The Stallions will have to wait to claim a first AFCON title after their fourth placing in 1998; third in 2017, and being runners-up in 2013
The Lions have been fourth in 1965, 1990, and 2006 and they have finished runners-up in 2002 and 2019; it could be third time lucky in 2022 when they face either the record winners, Egypt or the hosts Cameroon.
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