The former African champions made a purposeful start and were rewarded in the 38th minute when Abdoulaye Seckrose powered home a header from Krépin Diatta’s well-delivered set piece, giving Senegal a deserved lead at the break. They doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute thanks to Habib Diallo, who made no mistake with a left-footed finish from close range.

Senegal were reduced to ten men in the 71st minute when captain Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a red card following a VAR review, prompting Benin to push forward in search of a response.

Senegal beat Benin 3-0 and qualified for the Afcon round of 16 as group winners ahead of DR Congo. Photo: france24

But substitute Cherif Ndiaye calmly converted from the penalty spot in stoppage time after Ibrahim Mbaye was brought down in the area.

Despite the defeat, Benin progressed to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams. DR Congo, which cruised to a 3-0 win over Botswana, will also advance after finishing second in Group D.

After the match, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw was full of praise for his players.

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw. Photo: Backpagepix 2023

“The players deserve all the praise for their performance in this difficult match, which we played with ten men for part of the game. We faced a very determined Benin team, but managed to achieve our main objective of finishing top of the group.

“Our next goal is to correct the mistakes we made in the group stage before we go into the Round of 16, where there will be no room for error. We will use the next few days to address these issues,” he said.

Further results

Tanzania reached the knockout stage for the first time in their history after holding Tunisia to a 1-1 draw at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. The Taifa Stars came from a goal down to equalise and advance.

The North Africans led 1-0 at half-time thanks to a penalty goal by Ismail Gharbi. However, Tanzania found their moment in the 54th minute when Feisal Salum curled a fine effort from the edge of the area into the net.

Nigeria also confirmed their place at the top of Group C with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Uganda in their final group match played on Tuesday at the Complexe Sportif de Fès, officially ending Uganda’s campaign.

Today’s matches

In today’s matches, Equatorial Guinea will face Algeria at Stade Prince Moulay Al Hassan in Rabat at 18:00. Algeria top Group E, while Equatorial Guinea have lost both of their matches.

In Casablanca, Sudan will take on Burkina Faso in a make-or-break contest. Both sides are on three points, with Burkina Faso ahead on goal difference.

At 21:00, defending Afcon champions Ivory Coast will face Gabon at Stade de Marrakech, while all eyes will be on Agadir for the final group match of the tournament between Mozambique and Cameroon.

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger mvh