Cairo (AFP)

In the end, Senegal wins! Sadio Mané's team suffered but fell to Benin (1-0) on Wednesday in the quarter-finals in Cairo, their place in the final four of the CAN.

For the coach Aliou Cissé, "this year can be good" for his country, often favorite but never titled. Regularly criticized for not knowing how to manage the pressure in the big competitions, the Lions of the Teranga version 2019 showed, so far, an astonishing resilience.

After the 8th minimalist won against Uganda (1-0), the Senegalese repeated the same score against the tough Beninese. Dominated by sequences, unable to put rhythm, they were not enthusiastic about their game, but their coolness makes them dangerous.

Served by Sadio Mané, Idrissa Gueye, of an unstoppable cross shot (70th), sent his team to the semi-finals for the first time since 2006.

Great favorite, especially since Egypt, Cameroon and Morocco have all been out, Senegal continues to advance in a tournament that was unpredictable. For a place in the final, he will play Sunday Madagascar or Tunisia, who play on Thursday.

- Benin to ten -

But all the lights are not green, because the selection has almost lost the thread of his match. To see Kalidou Koulibaly, so solid, to take a big bridge of Cebio Soukou, or the star Sadio Mané long jostled by Olivier Verdon, coach Cissé had to think of the scenario of Morocco-Benin which was fatal to the Lions of the Atlas.

The Lions of Teranga have again exposed gaps in creation, too dependent on the activity of Liverpool right winger to be dangerous. Keita Balde, back as the incumbent, and Mbaye Niang, at the forefront, weighed more heavily on the slow pace of the game than the opposing defense.

Goalkeeper Amigo Gomis, who lost the game against Edouard Mendy, showed some excitement when he missed control and nearly scored against his side (67 ').

Three minutes later, Gueye released his team from the torpor of a gun that allowed Senegal to unfold until the end, especially as Benin finished at ten after the expulsion of Verdon (82).

Mané could have eased the pressure of the end of the game, but his two missed opportunities (72nd, 74th) have kept Senegal under threat Benin. Certainly, nothing is easy in this CAN for the team of Aliou Cisse, battered by Algeria, and who has already had several injuries, but it advances.

? 2019 AFP