Benin continues their record run at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday and are set to meet journeymen Senegal, making their second consecutive appearance in the tournament’s quarterfinals. It’s been more than 10 years since the Lions of Teranga last qualified for the AFCON’s last eight in back-to-back tournaments, while the Squirrels will make their debut in this stage of the competition.
AFCON: Senegal vs Benin
When: Wednesday, July 10
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV Channel: beIN Sports
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Senegal star Sadio Mane is currently the co-leader in the AFCON scoring ranks with three goals to his name and can take an outright lead in the Golden Boot hunt if he scores on Wednesday.
However, Benin’s defense has given up just one goal in their last three outings and may be more difficult to break down than their minimal AFCON experience might suggest.
Coach Michel Dussuyer led Benin to a penalty shootout shock against Morocco in the last 16. Defender Khaled Adenon will play no part on Wednesday after he was sent off in extra time of that result, while Benin could do with more attacking after scoring three goals in their four games.
Meanwhile, Senegal boss Aliou Cisse has seen a good response from his side since the Group C runner-up lost, 1-0, to Algeria in the group stage, beating Kenya and Uganda with clean sheets to their name. In fact, Youcef Belaili’s goal for Algeria remains the only goal they’ve allowed so far in Egypt.
Senegal center back Kalidou Koulibaly won’t allow Benin’s lesser profile to lull his side into a false sense of security.
“People see Benin as a surprise package, no. We have been observing them since the group stage. They have a compact team and play very well. They have been able to upset top teams including Morocco. We will do our best to be able to overcome them in our next game.”
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