That of January 25th turned out to be a mixed night for Sadio Mane as he scored from a set-piece to give Senegal the lead over Cape Verde at the Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a head injury earlier in the game when he clashed with keeper Vozinha who was sent off for his part in the incident.
Senegal Reach AFCON Quarter-Finals Following Mixed Night For Sadio Mane
Head Injury
Liverpool’s Mane looked in good form as he hit the woodwork in the early stages of the game but the match never really kicked on as it looked like it would and Senegal were very slow in their build-up play with little sense of urgency from either side after that opening flurry. Senegal were helped by their opponents who had already become notorious in the tournament so far for their wild and often dangerous challenges. This game was to be no different and Andrade was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Pape Gueye.
The sending off left Cape Verde with 10 men to play with for the remaining 70 minutes of the match and it got even worse once Vozinha was sent off leaving them with just nine men and even Senegal’s laboured play would be too much from this point on.
Victory
Not long after Mane had been patched up, a corner came in and fell to the unmarked Mane who fired home. Bamba Dieng then came off the bench to score his first international goal in stoppage time to seal the win.
Hospital
Following his goal, Mane looked out of sorts and he was eventually substituted. Questions will be asked as to why he wasn’t taken off before, especially with the concussion protocols that now exist in football. Both Mane and Vozinho were taken to hospital for routine checks, according to Sky Sports News.
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