Cairo (AFP)

Senegal, without Sadio Mané suspended, showed he had the makings of a future winner of the African Cup of Nations, logically winning his first match against weak Tanzania (2-0), Sunday in Cairo .

On Saturday, coach Aliou Cissé said he had not changed since taking office in 2015, except for his dreadlocks, which grew by two centimeters. The field proved him right: his Lions still managed to start in a major competition under his orders.

As at the CAN-2017 and the Mondial-2018, they entered the competition at the front door, with controlled success. But it is on its output that this team, often favorite but never titrated, will be judged.

While waiting for the knockout matches that often sound the death knell of his hopes, and before the pool hen against Algeria Thursday, Senegal is in the limelight, imitating Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco, its other competitors the most serious, all winners of their first meeting.

Despite the absence of their suspended Mané leader, the Blancs and Greens spread out their talent, dominating technically and physically weak Tanzanians, who had not contested the CAN since 1980.

Aligned in the left lane instead of the star of Liverpool, Keita Baldé has materialized the stranglehold of his team, a goal that owes much to the beautiful pass of Idrissa Gueye (28).

The Inter player was in view but wasted too much (54), just like his friend of the axis Mbaye Niang (6, 32, 43, 69), Ismaïla Sarr (86) or Papa Ndiaye (3).

In defense, Kalidou Koulibaly was imperial, in the image of his intervention as a boss to save a surrender of the head risky in front of his goal of Moussa Wagué (30). His good performance, coupled with the serenity of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in his outings, reminds that Senegal has the base to go far, even if Salif Sané came out on injury (24).

But in this team, the danger does not come only from the most famous heads: the middle of Bruges Krepin Diatta scored the second goal (64) of a magnificent recovery of 20 meters, to sanction a failed recovery of Tanzanians on a corner .

With Sadio Mané back, Senegal will have yet another argument to make. The stuff of a future winner.

? 2019 AFP