Sadio Mané is absolutely devastated, he has to be helped from the field by his coaches and team-mates, his face buried in his shirt. Cameroon’s head coach Hugo Broos, meanwhile, has just completed a lap of honour of the stadium. He is a picture of elation. The tournament favourites are out! Cameroon will face one of DR Congo or Ghana in the semi final.
Said with a smile, no doubt.
Commiserations to Sadio Mane, who bows out of #AFCON2017 with Senegal. pic.twitter.com/UzitmsXj9R
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 28, 2017
Thanks for reading. See you next time. Bye!
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Full-time: Senegal 0-0 Cameroon – Cameroon win 5-4 on penalties!
What a penalty to finish the match! Cameroon players hurdle the advertising hoardings to celebrate with their fans. Naturally, they are going berserk.
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GOAL! Senegal 4-5 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Senegal are out! Cameroon are through to the semi final! Aboubakar whips it into the top corner! Mané’s miss costs Senegal dear.
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SAVED! Senegal 4-4 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Mané misses! Of all the people to miss! Mané goes down the middle, and Ondoa gets a hand to it! If Aboubakar scores, Cameroon win!
GOAL! Senegal 4-4 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Big stutter from Zoua, and Diallo commits early. Easy finish into the corner, with the goalkeeper already on the ground.
GOAL! Senegal 4-3 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Ondoa guesses right, but Saivet passes the ball right into the corner, just out of the goalkeeper’s reach.
GOAL! Senegal 3-3 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Teikeu roofs it! Woof, that took some nerve, creeping it just under the crossbar. Diallo no chance.
GOAL! Senegal 3-2 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Moussa Sow waited for Ondoa to go to ground, and then just rolled it into the opposite corner, opening his body up and hitting it with his instep.
GOAL! Senegal 2-2 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Bitolo, who has played every minute of Cameroon’s tournament, sends Diallo the wrong way. Looked assured.
GOAL! Senegal 2-1 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Mboji scores, but only just! Ondoa got a hand to it, tipping it onto the post, but it bounces into the net. Close!
GOAL! Senegal 1-1 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Cameroon’s captain, Moukandjo, does the same, sweeping the ball in after a stuttered run up.
GOAL! Senegal 1-0 Cameroon – penalty shootout
Koulibaly goes left, Ondoa goes right. Good penalty.
Both goalkeepers, Ondoa and Diallo, have been excellent tonight. It looks like Ondoa will be the first to try to make a save, with Koulibaly the first from Senegal to take their penalty! Koulibaly looks nervous …
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Penalties it is! Score after 120 minutes: Senegal 0-0 Cameroon
I’m looking forward to seeing the net bulge for the first time. “I’m a huge Sadio Mané fan but we need him back for Liverpool, so I’m praying for Cameroon to win,” emails Aaron O’Donovan. “Sorry.”
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ET 30 min: Two minutes added on here.
ET 28 min: Ndiaye shoots from range, it’s the first effort from outside the box that looked like it might trouble a goalkeeper, but it drifts two yards wide.
ET 25 min: Can we just call this one a draw now?
ET 23 min: Ciss has a nasty cut above the eye, after tangling with Bassogog. It looks like blood is pouring into his eye, as the Senegal medical staff furiously try to wrap a bandage around the left-back’s head. Ciss goes off for attention, and Senegal are going to have to defend a dangerous free-kick without him, but the delivery from Moukandjo makes me want to go home. It doesn’t clear the boot of the first man, guarding the near post.
ET 21 min: Another chance for Senegal, this time it’s a shocking miss from Keita! A nice dummy sets Ciss away down the left: he cuts the ball back to Keita, completely unmarked on the penalty spot, and the Lazio man skies a left-footed shot into the gods. Cissé, on the touchline, can’t hide his disdain for that effort. Senegal getting closer.
ET 19 min: Chance for Senegal! Saivet gets free down the right and whips a cross in. Sow rises to meet it, but misses the ball, perhaps put off by the presence of Ondoa, who came sprinting out of goal. Had Sow headed the ball, he surely would have scored – Ondoa was in no man’s land.
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ET 18 min: Ndiaye replaces Kouyaté, who limps off the field with both a bandage on his wrist and on his head. He’s covered every blade, so to speak.
ET 17 min: Aboubakar has been a real bright spark since coming on, and he sprints down the right, clear of Ciss. The striker pulls the ball back towards Zoua, but Mbodji does well to clear, and not deflect the powerful cross into his own net. Cameroon on top as we enter the final stages!
Peeeeeep! We’re underway again.
Extra-time half time: Senegal 0-0 Cameroon
Fifteen minutes until penalties, if it stays like this. Will Cameroon rue that miss?
ET 15+1 min: Golden chance for Zoua! The 25-year-old plays a wonderful one-two with Aboubakar to unlock the Senegal back four, but the striker can only hit his shot straight at Diallo from just six-yards out. Should have scored! Diallo got lucky with the rebound falling to Gassama, but it was a good save.
ET 15 min: The quality is low. It’s still 23°C in Franceville, despite the face it is 10pm there. One minute added on at the end of this first half of extra time.
ET 13 min: Cameroon make a double change: Aboubakar replaces the ineffective Ndip Tambe, and Mandjeck replaces Djoum, who was on a yellow card and tiring in central midfield.
ET 11 min: Mané drives across the edge of the box, from right to left, and tries to lob Ondoa, but it’s comfortably caught by the Cameroon goalkeeper. Tried a lob not dissimilar to the one that Bergkamp scored against Sheffield United in 1999, but it didn’t come off.
ET 10 min: Would not be surprised to see Cameroon sub Ndip Tambe. The forward looks both bad at football, and absolutely knackered.
ET 8 min: Another Senegal corner, which misses everyone and rolls across Cameroon’s six-yard box. Nobody sniffs out the chance. Mané has been quiet.
ET 6 min: Fai commits his 6,471st foul of the game. He’s on thin ice.
ET 4 min: Cameroon have 11 men behind the ball. Time to dig in and pray for penalties. Maybe Senegal will over-commit going forward and there will be space on the counter-attack.
ET 1 min: Senegal win a corner after the referee judges Ngadeu to have had the last touch on the byline. He didn’t touch it. Teikeu heads away well, he’s been a rock for Cameroon all game.
Peeeeep! We’re off again. Thirty minutes to go. Whoever is running the Afcon Twitter account clearly didn’t watch the goal-less first 90 minutes.
FIRST EXTRA-TIME | The first extra-time of Senegal - Cameroon has started. What a game so far! #CAN2017 #SENCMR pic.twitter.com/ydKxoJ2r7b
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 28, 2017
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End of 90 minutes: Senegal 0-0 Cameroon
Extra time!
90+2 min: Another good save from Ondoa to keep Senegal out! He’s been vital this half, this time beating away a Sow effort, who shot powerfully from an acute angle. Senegal had two players – Keita and Mané – lurking, but the rebound fell safely to Ngadeu.
90 min: Four minutes added on here. Extra time and perhaps penalties beckon.
88 min: If anybody is going to break the deadlock, Keita looks the man to do it for Senegal. He bursts past Fai and delivers a low cross towards the near post. Sow steals a march on Teikeu, but can only flick his shot wide. Both Senegal players hold their heads in their hands, they know how good a chance that was.
86 min: Chance for Senegal! Kouyaté crashes a shot straight at Ondoa from outside the box, well saved by Ondoa, but the rebound falls to Mané, who can only shank it into the side netting with his weaker left foot.
85 min: M’Bengue has pulling a hamstring in chasing Bassogog down the wing. He’s replaced by Ciss. Second change for Senegal. They will surely want to save their final substitution until extra time. Who will have the legs to win this game?
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84 min: Ndip Tambe has had a poor game up front for Cameroon. He slips in controlling the ball, then accidentally boots it our for Senegal throw in.
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82 min: Mané gets clear for a second, and then Djoum rugby tackles him to the ground. Legally and illegally, they’ve allowed the Liverpool man minimal space.
81 min: Just as a reminder, we will go to extra time and then penalties if this finishes 0-0. The last five matches between these two teams have provided just three goals. We probably should have known.
79 min: To go with the bandage on his wrist, Kouyaté is now sporting a big white bandage wrapped around his head.
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77 min: Cameroon’s substitute Zoua breaks down the left, cuts inside Gassama, and shoots into the side netting when he might have crossed. Ndip Tambe was lurking at the back post, unmarked.
73 min: Siani brings Keita crashing to the turf. They don’t mind mixing it, these Cameroonians. It’s a bit rough and ready, but their physical approach is definitely disrupting Senegal’s flow.
70 min: I don’t think I’ve been a player with more facial expressions than Cameroon’s Fai. Every time the camera pans to his face, he either looks as though he’s either just won the lottery, or about to burst into tears.
68 min: The game has cooled down again, although the weather hasn’t. It’s 24°C in Franceville, and it’s 9pm.
Senegal are looking a little bit lost here. Cissé is patrolling his touchline, issuing instructions.
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66 min: Cameroon spurn a golden chance! The best of the match so far! Bassogog has his first opportunity to run at M’Bengue and he cuts inside on his left, dragging a shot into the path of Moukandjo. The Cameroon captain’s first touch is excellent, and holding off Mbodji, he sidefoots an effort towards the far corner. Diallo, who has been idle for much of this game, makes an excellent save, getting down well to his right, palming the shot away. The game is hotting up!
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64 min: Keita, who has been quiet this second half, cuts inside on his right foot and unleashes a powerful low shot, which is well held by Ondoa.
63 min: Speaking of bicycle kicks, here comes Moussa Sow. He’s on for Diouf, who has done nothing except for a poor cross in the first half, and a header that was well saved by Ondoa in the second.
61 min: Cameroon win a corner, initially cleared by Kouyaté, but the ball comes bouncing back towards the penalty spot. Teikeu tries an overhead kick, but connects with nothing but air, and the side of Kouyaté’s face, who bravely tried to block Teikeu’s effort. The Eurosport co-commentator that just said “I don’t like to see bicycle kicks inside the area, because you can guarantee that somebody is trying to head it.” Buzz-kill.
58 min: Yellow card for Fai, who comes through the back of Saivet. That’s been coming, Fai is a bit of a hot-head. Both Cameroon full-backs now on a booking.
56 min: Kouyaté loses out to Djoum in the middle of the pitch, and Siani finds Ndip Tambe on the run. He gets goalside of Koulibaly, who makes a foolish sliding tackle inside the area. Luckily there is no significant contact on Ndip Tambe, who simply stumbles, with the ball rolling out for a Senegal goal-kick. That was better from Cameroon.
53 min: Nothing unconvincing about this though: a quite spectacular save from Cameroon’s goalkeeper! Mané wriggles free down the right, stands a cross up to the back post, and Diouf stretches his neck, nodding a powerful header downwards. Ondoa, acting almost alone on instict, throws up his hands and makes a point-blank save, before regaining his footing and catching the rebound, despite a robust aerial challenge from Keita. The referee blows for a free-kick on the goalkeeper, but Ondoa caught it cleanly anyway. I’ve given him pelters this game, but Ondoa was excellent there.
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50 min: Senegal have started like a train, and Cameroon are reeling. First Keita has a penalty appeal turned down - replays show that he appeared to lose control of the ball, good decision – before Ondoa comes haring out of goal to close down Mané. Ondoa neither punches or catches it, and he’s very lucky to get to the second ball first. Unconvincing goalkeeping once again.
47 min: Good chance for Kouyaté! A Senegal free-kick comes all the way through to Mbodi at the back post. The centre-back takes a touch and helps the ball back across goal where 6ft3in Kouyaté is waiting. But Teikeu does just enough, shoulder-barging the West Ham man, forcing his header to go harmlessly over.
46 min: Cameroon make a change: Zoua on for Toko. For Senegal, I would be very surprised not to see Sow before too long.
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Peeeeep! We’re off again. If you want to send me any thoughts, predictions, plans/invitations for your Saturday night, you can do so via mail michael.butler@theguardian.com or tweet @michaelbutler18.
How was your half time? Enjoy the Joy of Six? Did you down a beer? Did you heckle somebody out the window? I wolfed down a very salty chicken noodle thing. It was mediocre to poor.
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Half-time reading:
Half-time: Senegal 0-0 Cameroon
Cameroon will take this. It’s a bitty, fractured, kind-of game.
45+1 min: Senegal pour forward but lose the ball cheaply and for a moment Cameroon look like they are going to counter-attack in numbers – five on three – but the referee calls the play back for a foul on Senegal’s Mbodji. Cameroon were in there.
45 min: One minute added on here.
43 min: Saivet, the former Newcastle winger, has done absolutely nothing this half, save for a couple of free-kick deliveries. Expecting him to be pulled at half time by manager Aliou Cissé.
41 min: Senegal win a corner, and Ndip Tambe is very lucky that the referee doesn’t spot a blatant off-the-ball pull-back. That should be a Senegal penalty! Cameroon clear.
38 min: Keita turns well, leaving Ngadeu on his arse, but smashes a shot well wide with his weaker left foot. Story of the half right there, a flash of brilliance followed by something lacking in quality.
36 min: Close for Cameroon! Moukandjo canters down the right flank, getting beyond M’Bengue and dribbles into the penalty area, cutting the ball back. Koulibaly slides in and deflects Moukandjo’s cut back, the ball ricocheting towards goal. Diallo throws his hands up, but he doesn’t really have time to react properly, and he is lucky to see the ball squirt behind for a Cameroon corner.
34 min: Cameroon are slowly coming back into this game, this their first prolonged spell of possession in Senegal territory. Toko brings the move to an end with a shot that flies a good 20 yards wide of the goal. Appalling effort, and he can’t even blame the pitch, which is pretty flat and unbobbly, by all accounts.
32 min: If you need any reminder what Sow can do, watch this recent bicycle kick against Manchester United.
Could have been a shinner. Not sure.
29 min: Oyongo, already on a yellow card, comes right through the back of Mané. That is surely a second yellow card … no! The referee has been very lenient tonight. We could have arguably had two red cards in this first half an hour.
27 min: Great chance for Diouf! Mané miscontrols a pass, but the ball inadvertently bounces into Keita’s path. Mané cleverly chests it down to Diouf, who tries to lift the ball over the onrushing Ondoa, but gets too much on the ball, which drops just over the bar. That’s a poor miss, despite the attentions of Ondoa, who was injured in trying to tackle Diouf. The Stoke City striker has missed a host of chances in this tournament, particularly in the 2-0 win over Zimbabwe, and no doubt Moussa Sow (who scored against Algeria) will be itching to take his place from the bench.
24 min: Mané turns past Oyongo, and the Cameroon defender unceremoniously pulls the Liverpool man back. It should be a clear yellow card for Oyongo, and it is.
22 min: I can’t say Ondoa has impressed me this tournament. He’s another player that has come through Barcelona’s academy, but seems nervy, especially under the high ball. He did, however, make a brilliant save to deny Gabon’s Ndong in Cameroon’s final group game to ensure they qualified for this quarter-final.
20 min: Keita beats three Cameroonians, throws in a couple of stepovers and delivers a brilliant cross to the near post. Ondoa comes for the cross, gets nowhere near it, but luckily Teikeu is there to head it away. Kouyaté tries to loop the rebound into the empty net, but he can’t get over it and the ball sails over the bar.
18 min: Cameroon put their first good move together, which ends with Moukandjo blasting a shot high and wide. Some neat touches in the build-up, though, with Bassogog and Siani combining well to set up their captain.
Updated
15 min: Keita has been Senegal’s best player thus far. The Lazio man grew up in Barcelona’s academy from 2004-11, but never broke into the first team. He’s a real gem, and giving Cameroon’s right back Fai all sorts of problems on Senegal’s left flank.
13 min: An awful, awful tackle from Diouf on Siani! The Stoke City forward took a heavy touch and tried to regain the ball with a slide tackle, but ended up going studs up on Cameroon’s central midfielder, just below the knee! That should be a red card … but the referee pulls out a yellow! Lucky boy, perhaps it is because we are still so early in the game. It shouldn’t matter, though, Diouf should have seen red.
11 min: It’s all Senegal. Diouf makes a break down the left, outpacing Teikeu, and gets to the byline, but his cross is behind Mané, who was steaming in at the back post.
8 min: Kouyaté leaps high to head the ball on and lands heavily on his his left wrist, which is bandaged. A quick wince and he’s back on his feet. I’m sure West Ham’s physio has one eye on this game.
6 min: Cameroon are sitting extremely deep, every man behind the ball. Every goal they’ve scored in this tournament has been from outside the penalty box, so far relying on spectacular strikes to get them through the group stages. They need a more cohesive form of attack.
4 min: Gassama has made a flying start to this match down Senegal’s right hand-side, first whipping in a dangerous from the byline, then winning a dangerous free-kick, which is cleared by Fai. It will be interesting to see how Cameroon defend these set pieces without their talisman NKoulou.
2 min: Mané goes shoulder to shoulder with Oyongo and comes off second best. Cameroon look up for this, they are going to play on the counter-attack and try to use the pace of Toko and Ndip Tambe.
Peeeeeeeep! We are underway! It’s 25°C in Franceville, and a party atmosphere in the stands. Both sets of fans are going for it. Let’s do this.
The teams are out! Senegal in their resplendent white strip, every player with his hand on his heart as they belt out the national anthem, which is a cracker, by the way, especially at the end. Lots of horns.
Cameroon are joined in arms, in their red and green number. The goalkeeper, Ondoa, is especially out of tune, his eyes clenched shut as he sings.
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Two Lions, of sorts, these are two bonafide giants of African football. But there are some other big nations missing at this tournament. You can find out how, here.
Senegal are the Fifa highest-ranked team left in the tournament (33). Cameroon are the lowest (62). But it’s knockout football. Yeah? Yeah.
Cameroon are in good spirits, seen chanting and dancing their way off the coach, complete with drum. That is never not fun to watch. I’m just pleased I didn’t have to see Gary Cahill do the same at the Euros.
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These two teams did meet in an Afcon final, back in 2002. It wasn’t exactly a classic, a 0-0, with Cameroon prevailing 3-2 in the penalty shootout.
That sleeveless Cameroon shirt. Delightful. Here is Eric Djemba-Djemba have his pulled back by Togo’s Senaya Yao Mawuko in that 2002 tournament.
The teams
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly – the subject of a £42.5m bid from Chelsea in the summer – starts in central defence. Everton’s Gana and West Ham’s rangy Kouyaté are the fulcrum of the team in central midfield, whilst Stoke’s Mame Biram Diouf, Liverpool’s Sadio Mané and Lazio’s Keita Baldé Diao lead the line.
No NKoulou for Cameroon! He is Cameroon’s most capped player at this tournament, but has to settle for a place on the bench, alongside Vincent Aboubakar.
LINE UP | The starting XI for the upcoming match #SENCMR. Predict your Total Man of the Match now: https://t.co/OI0BJcrs11 #CAN2017 pic.twitter.com/aJKp4MpL1F
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 28, 2017
Such
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Preamble
Senegal’s elimination from Afcon cannot come quickly enough for Liverpool fans. Jamie Carragher/Danny Murphy/Mark Lawrenson/Jamie Redknapp/Steve McManaman/Graeme Souness presumably cannot wait for the moment when he can say that the return of Mané is “like a new signing for Liverpool.” Having won four on the bounce with him in the side at the end of 2016, Liverpool have drawn with Plymouth, lost home and away to Southampton, and lost to Swansea and Wolverhampton Wandereres at home since Sadio Mané left for Gabon at the start of the month – their only victory in that period a narrow 1-0 win over League Two Plymouth Argyle in an FA Cup replay.
This MBM is about the glory of an entire continent – not about Liverpool, or the relatively unimportant English competitions that they occasionally compete in – but it does go to highlight what an important player Mané is – Steven Gerrard admitted after Liverpool’s defeat to Wolves earlier today that ‘It’s clear for everyone to see, he’s a top player and we’ve missed him so much.”
Mané is the most expensive African player of all time and has scored the crucial opening goal in both group games he has played in, 2-0 wins over both Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
But without him, Senegal are no mugs. In qualifying for Afcon 2017, they won all six of their matches, scoring 13 and conceding two. Having already qualified for the knockout rounds by the time they faced Algeria in their final group game, Senegal made 10 changes and knocked out the north Africans – Mahrez, Slimani, Bentaleb and co – a team themselves widely tipped to go all the way to the final. Instead it is Senegal who are the bookies favourites to win this year’s tournament, something they have never achieved before.
Cameroon have won Afcon four times, but were the width of a post away from not qualifying in a relatively easy group. Still, they are here and whilst they are not as strong as years gone by, stars such as Lyon’s Nicolas Nkoulou, captain Benjamin Moukandjo and attackers Vincent Aboubakar and Christian Mougang Bassogog all have the capacity to be matchwinners.
Senegal or Cameroon will face one of DR Congo or Ghana in the other semi final. We already know one of our semi-finalists: Burkino Faso have just beaten Tunisia 2-0 after two late goals from Aristide Bancé and Préjuce Nakoulma. Burkino Faso will face one of Egypt or Morocco, their quarter final is tomorrow.
But, as the saying goes, let’s take one game at a time. This one starts at 7pm GMT.
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