Senegal downed a brave Burkina Faso 3-1 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde on Wednesday night to book a berth in the final of the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations.
Goals from Abdou Diallo, Bamba Dieng and Sadio Mane saw the Teranga Lions move into a second successive Afcon final and give them a shot at redemption after losing the 2019 championship game to Algeria.
As for the Stallions, their fine tournament should not be forgotten, but they simply lacked the class and firepower to match their heavyweight opponents.
After a tentative opening to the match it was Senegal who began to threaten in attack, with left-back Saliou Ciss cutting inside from the flank and sending a low shot just wide of the far post on 15 minutes.
A short while later Mane had his first sight of goal, letting fly with a grasscutter which was held by Burkina Faso goalkeeper Herve Koffi.
A Teranga Lions corner kick on 26 minutes saw Cheikhou Kouyate direct an unwitting shot on target, which was cleared from danger by Issa Kabore, and a few moments later Bamba Dieng headed wide of the near post after meeting Ciss’s cross from the left.
Burkina Faso suffered a major injury blow after the half-hour mark when Koffi was hit hard in an aerial collision with Kouyate and forced off the pitch on a stretcher. Farid Ouedraogo replaced him in the 35th minute.
The Stallions offered up their first shot on target on 39 minutes, with Bertrand Traore’s initial effort blocked by a defender and falling for Hassan Bande, whose shot from a tight angle was turned away by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.