…Benin Republic upset Morocco to create history
Sadio Mane became the leading scorer in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Friday when he scored the goal that gave Senegal a 1-0 win over Uganda in a feisty last-16 clash.
The Liverpool star struck on 15 minutes with a close-range shot after a passing move carved open the Ugandan defence in Cairo.
Mane later missed a penalty — the second time he has fluffed a spot-kick in as many matches — but his three-goal tally from three matches moved him ahead of 11 scorers with two each.
In the quarter-finals, Senegal will face fellow west Africans Benin, who stunned Morocco earlier, winning a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw following extra time.
A fiery start at the Cairo International Stadium to the second last-16 match saw two Ugandans and one Senegalese yellow-carded within 10 minutes of the kick-off.
Uganda captain and goalkeeper Denis Onyango was first to be booked after racing off his line and fouling Ismaila Sarr, who needed lengthy treatment.
Giant Uganda forward Emmanuel Okwi was the next offender with his elbow brushing the face of Senegal centre-back and captain Cheikhou Kouyate.
Senegal midfielder Papa Ndiaye then went into the book of the referee for deliberately pushing a Ugandan so hard he tumbled off the pitch.
As tempers cooled, Senegal scored through Mane, who shared the Premier League Golden Boot last season with Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal.
A Ugandan pass was intercepted and two quick, slick passes sent Mane clear to fire left-footed past Onyango, one of the top goalkeepers in Africa.
Earlier, ten-man Benin rode their luck to eliminate heavily fancied Morocco on penalties in an extraordinary upset in the opening match of the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
Not only being the first time the country has advanced after the group games, Benin advanced to quarter-finals, after four successive draws, as they outscored Morocco 4-1 in the shootout after a 1-1 stalemate at the end of extra time in the last-16 tie.
The small west African nation survived a last-gasp stoppage-time penalty missed by Morocco and an extra-time dismissal to create one of the tournament’s great upsets.
Defender Moise Adilehou opened the scoring to give Benin a shock 53rd-minute lead before Youssef En-Nesyri equalised after 76 minutes.
