Heartbreak for Zimbabwe: Norman Mapeza and his men would almost certainly have bitten your hand off for a point ahead of the game and thoroughly deserved after more than holding their own against the group favourites after a shaky opening 20 minutes.
The concession of a penalty in the final seconds of the fourth and final minute of added time was a total gut-punch but they still have Group B games to come against Guinea and Malawi (who play later this afternoon) in which to turn things around.
Full-time: Senegal 1-0 Zimbabwe
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeep! It’s all over in Bafoussam, where Senegal have won all three points with an extremely late smash-and-grab. It looked a harsh (but probably fair) penalty, with Kelvin Madzongwe touching the ball with a raised arm as he dived in to block a shot. Did he handle it? Yes. Was it intentional? Absolutely not. Should it have been a penalty in that case? Like most other people, I no longer have a clue.
GOAL! Senegal 1-0 Zimbabwe (Mane 90+6pen)
Senegal score at the death! The penalty stands and Sadio Mane makes no mistake. That is heartbreaking for Zimbabwe, who don’t deserve to lose this game.
PENALTY FOR SENEGAL!!!!
Oh no!!! Kelvin Madzongue handles the ball while diving in to block a shot with just seconds of added to go. Referee Mario Escobar points to the spot but we’re going to have a VAR consultation.
90+4 min: Just seconds remain and Zimnbabwe boot the ball out for a throw-in.
90+2 min: Senegal win a throw-in deep in Zimbabwe territory. An attempted cross is blocked by Gerald Tagwara and the ball goes out for a goal-kick to the underdogs.
90 min: We’re into the final minute and a rueful Sadio Mane picks himself from the ground after going down under a challenge from Gerald Takwara a few yards outside the Zimbabwe penalty area. He was expecting a free-kick but didn’t get one from a referee who has been very impressive today. Up with nonsense, play-acting and time-wasting Senor Escobar refuses to put.
87 min: The stretcher-bearers are on again, this time to fetch Zimbabwe skipper Knowledge Musona from the field. He’s replaced by Never Tigere. I don’t think any of the players for whom the men with the stretcher have been summoned have been seriously hurt - I think they keep getting called on by the referee in a bid to avoid time-wasting by assorted Zimbabwe players.
87 min: Correction, it was Teenage Adebe who got the weak touch on Musona’s drilled free-kick.
83 min: Free-kick for Zimbabwe, on the byline, halfway between the corner flag and the Senegal goal. Musona drills a low ball into the penalty area, it takes a deflection off his unwitting team-mate Wadi and rolls into the arms of Seny Dieng, who got down quickly.
83 min: Zimbabwe win a corner and Musona’s inswinger is headed clear.
82 min: Into the final 10 minutes we go continuing a second half that has been largely played at walking pace, only very occasionally sparking into life. On the sideline, Aliou Cisse is clapping enthusiastically trying to gee up Senegal players who have under-performed in this Group B opener.
80 min: I don’t think Idrissa and Papa Gueye are related but am happy to stand corrected if it turns out they are.
78 min: Senegal substitution: Papa Gueye replaces Boulaye Dia.
76 min: Senegal break upfield on a lightning fast counter-attack but Zimbabwe goalkeeepr Petro Mhari does well to get down and cut out the low cross from Boulaye Dia to Sadio Mane at the far post.
74 min: Zimbabwe win a free-kick near one of the corner flag. From that comes a corner, although I thought the ball arced wide from Musona’s delivery before curling back on to the pitch and being put out for a corner. Nothing comes of the second set-piece.
70 min: There’s another break in play as Kundai Benyu is stretchered off with some manner of knock or other that doesn’t look too serious. He’s replaced by Thabani Kamusoko. Our referee seemed to think Benyu was time-wasting and told the player he’d stopped his watch before ordering the stretcher-bearers on to carry him from the field.
68 min: Sadio Mane goes to ground under another clumsy challenge from Onismor Bhasera. The resultant free-kick is floated into the Zimbabwe penalty area, where Abdou Diallo heads high and wide at the far post.
65 min: Senegal substitution: Habib Diallo on for Keita Balde. We have two Diallo’s - Habib and Abdou – on the pitch now but I can confirm they are not related.
64 min: A weighted through ball from Sadio Mane is chased down the inside left by Blade, who crosses straight into the arms of Petros Mhari as he attempts to square the ball.
62 min: There’s a break in play as stretcher-bearers are summoned to ferry Zimbabwe midfielder Kundai Benyu from the pitch. He gets to his feet, walks off the pitch and quickly returns.
60 min: A long ball over the top from Zimbabwe’s Takudzwa Chinwemwe lands just inside the penalty area, making life easy for Seengal goalkeeper Seny Dieng but decidedly more difficult for Knowledge Musona, who was chasing it in vain.
57 min: Very little is happening and both teams already look as if they’d happily settle for a draw in this Group B opener. Zimbabwe would take one, without doubt but I expected Senegal to have more about them. I suppose in some sort of mitigation for the players, it is 30 degrees celsius in Bafoussam this afternoon.
55 min: Onismore Bhasera goes to take a throw-in deep in Senegal territory, picking up a water bottle on the touchline and taking several long swigs from it on his way to do so.
52 min: Bouna Sarr goesd down injured after shipping a kick on the right shin from Zimbabwe’s Onismore Bhasera. He should have got a free-kick for that but didn’t. He picks himself from the ground looking slightly wounded in every sense of the word.
51 min: The game is being played at a very pedestrian pace in the early stages of this second half. There’s little or no urgency from either side.
49 min: Abdou Diallo is penalised halfway inside the Senegal half for bundling over Tino Kadewere. Nothing comes of the free-kick.
47 min: Senegal win their first corner of the second half. With the goalkeeper stranded in no-mans land after coming for the ball, Papa Abou Cisse misses with a free header into an open goal.
Second half: Senegal 0-0 Zimbabwe
46 min: Play resumes with one change in personnel in the Zimbabwe ranks. Lyon winger-striker Tino Kadewere is on for Prince Dube.
Half-time: Senegal 0-0 Zimbabwe
Peep! Without playing so much as a second of added time, the referee draws the first half to a close. After a poor start in which they were completely dominated, Zimbabwe have grown into the game, look increasingly confident and have had the better chances in the past 15 minutes. It’s an absorbing encounter but lacking a little in urgency and goalmouth action. That could change in the second half.
44 min: Zimbabwe left wing-back Bruce Kanga tries his luck with a wild shot from outside the Senegal penalty area. His low diagonal drive fizzes well wide of the far upright.
43 min: Papa Abou Cisse stretches to head a long diagonal ball from Zimbabwe into the Senegal penalty area clear.
41 min: Here’s a Football Weekly podcast some of us made earlier. If you’re new to the Guardian, you can listen on the website or download for free on all the usual podcast platforms.
36 min: A poor first touch from Idrissa Gueye as the ball drops to his feet about seven yards from the Zimbabwe goal allows Petros Mhari to dash off his line and smother the ball at the PSG midfielder’s feet.
35 min: No longer as dominant as they were in the opening 25 minutes, Senegal still look superior. There are no high blocks or gegenpressing from either side, for anyone who might be wondering. Zimbabwe win themselves another corner after Balde has a snap-shot blocked
33 min: Keita Balde was booked for protesting over-zealously in the aftermath of conceding that free-kick. I can’t say I blame him for feeling aggrieved but the referee wasn’t having any of his lip.
32 min: From directly in front of goal, a couple of yards outside the Senegal penalty area, Knowledge Musona tries to chip the ball into the top corner. High and wide.
30 min: Now Zimbabwe win their first corner of the game after getting in behind the Senegal defence and forcing Abdou Diallo into action. They go on to win a free-kick just outside the Senegal penalty area for handball, when a piledriver from Kundai Benyu smashes into Keita Balde from close range. That seems harsh.
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29 min: Senegal win a corner after Teenage Hadebe leaps to head a cross wide of his own goal. Nothing comes from the set-piece.
26 min: Elsewhere in Group B, Guinea take on Malawi in a game scheduled to take place an hour or so after this one ends. It will be refereed by Salima Mukansanga, who will become the first woman to take charge of a game at the finals of Afcon.
23 min: Sadio Mane latches on to a hacked clearance out by the left touchline, then does brilliantly to keep it in play and gallop down the pitch. He takes the ball around a defender, cuts inside and sends a weak low shot straight into the chest of the onrushing Petros Mari. It was a decent save but Mane should have done better. It would have been a wonderful individual goal.
20 min: Bouna Sarr latches on to a neat reverse pass from Sadio Mane in the Zimbabwe penalty area and sends a low diagonal effort rolling wide of the far post. He should have scored!
19 min: Zimbabwe finally get a shot on goal but Knowledge Musona’s effort from 25 yards out is wayward.
18 min: Senegal’s Ibrahima Mbaye unleashes a shot from distance but fails to hit the target.
17 min: Senegal goalkeeper Seny Dieng, who plays for QPR and starts in place of Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, has yet to touch the ball in this game. With the wide camera angle, his goal has yet to hove into view.
15 min: Cheikhou Kouyate handles the ball in midfield but play continues as the referee deems it accidental. We’ve had no possession percentage stats thus far but I’d hazard an educated guess that Senegal must be in the mid-seventies to low eighties.
13 min: Zimbabwe continue to sit deep, inviting Senegal on to them. One suspects they won’t hold out for long as Senegal, even without several key players, look a class above them.
10 min: Senegal winger Keita Balde scoops the ball over the bar from eight yards out after it had bounced kindly for him. He puts his head in his hands, ruing a dreadful miss. For me, Clive, he simply has to hit the target from there and at least make the goalkeeper work.
8 min: No more chances of any kind as both sides try to feel their way into the game. Senegal are definitely in the ascendency, with Zimbabwe struggling to get the ball out of their own half for any length of time.
6 min: Zimbabwe have lined up in a 5-3-2, while Senegal have opted for a 4-3-3. Sadio Mane seems to be playing in the centre of the front three, as opposed to his more usual spot on the left of a three for Liverpool.
5 min: Zimbabwe keeper Mhari launches a kick-out down the pitch, which looks like it might be synthetic. The pitch, that is. Not the kick-out. THe ball’s returned his way and Zimbabwe win a throw-in deep inside their own half.
3 min: Senegal continue to dominate possession in these very early stages in a stadium with uncovered, largely empty stands and an athletics track surrounding the pitch.
1 min: Oof! Senegal take the first shot in anger and it’s a good one, Bouna Sarr’s fizzer from just outside the Zimbabwe penalty area bouncing on its way the wrong side of the right upright with Zimbabwe goalkeeper Petros Mhari looking beaten.
Senegal v Zimbabwe is go ...
1 min: Zimbabwe get the ball rolling, the referee, Mario Escobar, having had to interrupt their pre-match huddle to get proceedings under way on time. They wear yellow shirts with red, black and orange splashes on the front, with yellow shorts and socks. The players of Senegal wear white shirts, shorts and socks with green trim.
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The flags of both countries are brought out. They’re followed moments later by the match officials and players of both teams. The stadium looks almost empty but there is one pocket of enthusiastic Senegal fans visible, colourfully dressed with many of them blowing vuvuzelas. It’s time for the national anthems, with Senegal’s played first. Next up, it’s that of Zimbabwe and kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.
Zimbabwe may be missing their Marvelous ... but they do have a Teenage (Hadebe), Prince (Dube) and Knowledge (Musona) in their starting XI. What splendid names.
They also have an Onismor (Bhasera) among their three centre-backs and our Irish readers may already have twigged that he sounds very like an island off the coast of Galway.
Senegal v Zimbabwe line-ups
Senegal: Seny Dieng, Mbaye, Cisse, Abdou Diallo, Toure, Bouna Sarr, Kouyate, Idrissa Gueye, Dia, Mane, Balde.
Subs: Habib Diallo, Lopy, Name, N’Diaye, Pape Gueye, Badara Faty.
Zimbabwe: Mhari, Takwara, Hadebe, Bhasera, Chimwemwe, Wadi, Madzongwe, Benyu, Kangwa, Dube, Musona.
Subs: Murwira, Mudimu, Moyo, Kadewere, Tigere, Kamusoko, Mahachi, Muskwe, Muduwa, Shumba, Mapisa.
Norman Mapeza speaks: “We cannot celebrate that some of their players were affected by Covid-19 because many people have lost their lives, I wish all the affected players well,” said the Zimbabwe coach when asked if the outbreak in the Senegal camp increased his side’s chances of getting a result.
Following Zimbabwe’s most recent warm-up game, a scoreless draw with Sudan, Mapeza was asked about the surprise retirement from international football of Khama Billiat last month. “Look, we all respect Khama’s decision but lets not take anything away from these boys,” he said. “If we keep on talking about the players who are not here, I don’t think we will be doing justice for these boys.”
Aliou Cisse speaks: “It’s a difficult and complicated situation,” said the Senegal coach and former Portsmouth and Birmingham City defender of the Covid outbreak in his squad. “We are going to be competitive and those there are going to play for those who are absent. We are still going into the game against Zimbabwe full of confidence.”
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Early team news: Senegal will be without Edouard Mendy after the Chelsea goalkeeper tested positive for Covid-19 since linking up with the squad. Napoli central defender Kalidou and Alanyaspor striker Famara Diedhiou are also out with the virus which has also sidelined Pape Sarr, Nampalys Mendy and Mame Thiam. The upshot is that Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has just 17 players available for this opening game.
While Zimbabwe have a clean bill of health in terms of Covid, they are without Marvelous Nakamba for this tournament. The Aston Villa midfielder is expected to be out for at least another two months after undergoing successful knee surgery three weeks ago. Winger Khama Billiat is also absent, having shocked the nation by announcing his retirement for reasons that remain shrouded in mystery last month.
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Group B: Senegal v Zimbabwe
The 20,000-capacity Kouekong Stadium in the suburbs of Bafoussam, a city in the west highlands of Cameroon, is the setting for today’s Group B opener. Currently rated the 20th best side in the world Fifa, Senegal are favourites to beat a Zimbabwe team ranked 101 places below them in the footballing pecking order as they attempt to go one better than their defeat at the hands of Algeria in the final of this competition three years ago.
However, the Lions of Teranga may not have it all their own way as they go about trying to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, as injuries and an outbreak of Covid in the camp has left them without several key players.
Zimbabwe’s ambitions are less lofty and they come into the tournamenet hoping to avoid a third consecutive group stage exit. “I am more that happy,” said their coach, Norman Mapeza ahead of today’s game. “We are ready. We just have to go there with maximum concentration and a positive mind. It’s all about mental strength and that is what I have been telling the guys. Any result is achievable in football.”
Kick-off in Bafoussam is at 1pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
