Senegal, Dr Congo Secure Opening Day Wins

Senegal and DR Congo opened their AFCON accounts on a winning note thanks to victories in their respective games.

More Details

DR Congo battled Republic of Benin in the opening game of the group at the Al Barid Stadium in Rabat.

The two teams understood the importance of the game knowing there’s Senegal waiting for them later on in the coming games.

Bent on securing maximum points, both teams approached the game cautiously with limited chances in the opening exchanges.

However, it was not going to be a boring affair as Theo Bongonda sprung the game to life with a well taken finish off an assist from Arthur Masuaku.

The early goal gave The Leopards the much needed confidence and they did well by controlling most of the half.

They thought they had doubled their lead at the start of the second half when Cedric Bakambu beat his marker to finish off in the net. His celebration was however cut short by the VAR when it was ruled out for offside.

The World Cup bound Leopards would protect their lead for the rest of the game as they claimed maximum points at the expense of their West African counterparts.

One of the tournament favourites Senegal came up against lowly rated Botswana at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier.

The 2021 AFCON winners were made to work for the points as Botswana proved a hard nut to crack in the first half hour.

It took a special run in the in the area by Ismail Jakobs in the 40th minute to set up Nicholas Jackson for the opener.

READ ALSO: Todd Boehly: Readjusting Chelsea’s Wheels, To What Effect?

Jackson would double the lead in the 58th minute when he received a pass from Ismaila Sarr, beat the defender before slotting past the goalkeeper for his and his nation’s second of the evening.

The Bayern Munich striker put up the best individual performance seen so far at this year’s tournament to put Senegal at the top of Group D.

Substitute Cherif Ndiaye was on hand to put the icing on the cake for the Teranga Lions as they sent their opponents to the cleaners.

Do you have a story tip?
Kindly Email: keepup@bettitude.com

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube

Bookmark (0)

Please login to bookmark