Senegal assumed its favorite status by beating Gambia (3-0) with a double from young Lamine Camara to begin the defense of its title, Monday in Yamoussoukro during the African Cup.
Like Ivory Coast, winner of Guinea-Bissau (2-0) in the opening match, Aliou Cissé’s men escaped the traps set for the big names since the start of the CAN.
Nigeria was held by Equatorial Guinea (1-1), Egypt only escaped against Mozambique (2-2) thanks to a penalty from Mohamed Salah in added time, and Ghana even lost against Cape Verde (2-1), in the last minutes.
An early goal scored by Marseillais Pape Gueye (4) and a red card just before the break for the “Scorpion” Ebrima Adams (45 8), for an elbow to Lamine Camara, made the task easier for the Lions.
Ten against eleven, in 35 degree weather, the courageous Scorpions were unable to prick the Lion, as their Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet hoped.
Their best action came from a free kick from their best player Musa Barrow into the small net (17th). The Gambia, a surprise quarter-finalist for its first CAN two years ago, is on a bad track to repeat its feat.
At the start of the second period, a cross strike from the talented Messin Lamine Camara (52), the symbol of the next generation at the age of 20, gave the Senegalese even more comfort.
They did everything to ward off the curse of the title holders. Since Egypt, the 2010 champion, even missed qualifying for the next edition, only one African champion has managed to get out of the group stage: Cameroon, in 2019, only to stop in the 8th final, beaten by Nigeria (3-2).
At 2-0, Senegal controlled the match and saved strength under the oppressive early afternoon sun, with cool breaks for the players and messages on the big screens advising the public to stay indoors. shadow of the ellipse roof of the Konan-Banny stadium.
The heat did not alter the atmosphere in a rather well-filled stadium, ensured in particular by two kops – stands behind the goals -, in the green, yellow and red colors of Senegal, singing and dancing to the sound of the tom-toms, but without vuvuzelas, these foghorns which had somewhat swallowed up the atmosphere in Cameroon two years ago.
The viewers were not able to see everything, a failure of the satellite beams having cut off the broadcast of the match for a good twenty minutes at the end of the first period.
Fortunately the broadcast worked again during the second act: it would have been a shame to miss Camara’s magnificent wrapped shot for his double (86th).
