In a brand new stadium and full as an egg, the Lions of Senegal dominated again Egypt in the penalty shootout (1-0, pen 3-1). Sadio Mané scored again the decisive penalty. For the 3rd time in its history, Senegal will participate in the World Cup finals.
As they had promised after the defeat of their national team in Cairo on Friday night, Senegalese fans stormed the stands of the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio. At four hours to the kick-off, there were only a few pockets left to fill. It was done when the two selections went out for their training. On the pitch, Sadio Mané and his teammates also made up for lost time early on. In the second minute, Ismaila Sarr on his first infiltration gets a free kick. The Lions opened the score thanks to Boulaye Dia who took advantage of a scramble to push the ball into the net (4th).
Sadio Mané sends Senegal to Qatar
After the opening goal, Senegal continued to put pressure on the Egyptians who, as usual, tried to break the rhythm by staying down after each action. Despite the domination of the Senegalese, carried by their public, no other goal will be scored during the first period. After the break, the game will be less open. The two teams are perhaps tetanized by the stake. The stoppages of play multiply and the chances are rare.
Like in Yaoundé, the two teams go into extra time. Senegal won this second round 1-0 after 90 minutes. Even the extra 30 minutes could not separate Senegal and Egypt. For the second time in less than two months, the two teams are forced to go through the penalty shootout. A session during which the first four shooters including the star Mohamed Salah all failed. But as in Yaoundé, Senegal won 3-1 thanks to Sadio Mané who scored the winning penalty. The Lions of Senegal will be in November at the World Cup in Qatar.
