Abdou Diallo opened the scoring before Idrissa Gueye doubled the lead for Senegal, and then Blati Toure pulled one back for Burkina Faso but Sadio Mane's 87th minute goal sealed the win for Senegal.
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Senegal defeated Burkina Faso 3-1 in Yaounde on Wednesday to enter the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Paris Saint-Germain’s Abdou Diallo broke the deadlock for Senegal on 70 minutes before Idrissa Gueye doubled the lead, six minutes later. Meanwhile Burkina Faso pulled one back in the 82nd minute as Blati Toure’s improvised finish with his knee sailed past Edouard Mendy in the Senegal goal. And then, three minutes from time, Sadio Mane sealed Senegal’s victory as he was put through on goal and lofted the ball over Burkina Faso’s substitute goalkeeper Farid Ouedrago.
FULL-TIME! ⏰ #TeamBurkinaFaso 1️⃣-3️⃣ #TeamSenegal
WHAT A GAME! The Lions of Teranga reach the #TotalEnergiesAFCON final for the second successive time. ?#TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 | #AFCON2021 | #BFASEN pic.twitter.com/shUbwR30Mm
— #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 ? (@CAF_Online) February 2, 2022
In an eventful first half, Senegal had two penalty decisions overturned following VAR intervention with Burkina Faso losing goalkeeper Herve Koffi to injury after the first incident. Just four minutes into the game there was a serious clash of heads following a fully committed 50-50 challenge between Nampalys Mendy and Cyrille Bayala.
It set the tone for a hard-fought semi final encounter between two sides who have never won the competition before. Senegal are the highest ranked team in Africa, 20th in FIFA’s global list, and their extra quality eventually got the better of Burkina Faso.
Senegal were twice awarded penalties before the break for Koffi’s aerial clash with Cheikhou Kouyate and Edmond Tapsoba’s elbow-block on Idrissa Gueye. But both were correctly overturned by referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa after he had been called to view them on the monitor by the video officials.
Koffi was forced off hurt in the 36th minute after awkwardly landing on Crystal Palace midfielder Kouyate as he tried to punch clear. 20 minutes from time, Kalidou Koulibaly’s bicycle kick turned an out swinging corner back towards goal and Diallo slotted home after a smart turn.
Six minutes later, Mane won the ball back in a dangerous area and pulled it back for Gueye to double the lead. In response, at the other end, Toure gave Burkina Faso a brief hope with an 82nd minute goal. But Mane made it 3-1 for Senegal in the 87th minute and ensured their passage into the final, where they will face the winner of the second semi-final between Cameroon and Egypt.
