Second-half goals in Thies helped the Teranga Lions begin their quest for a place in next year’s showpiece with a comfortable home win
Liverpool talisman Sadio Mane opened the scoring and Paris Saint-Germain defender Abdou Diallo scored his first goal for Senegal in their 2-0 triumph over Togo on Wednesday.
It was Senegal’s first victory in their maiden qualifying match for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar on home soil.
Wednesday’s triumph also served as a revenge for the Teranga Lions who punished Sparrowhawks for stopping them from making it to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, after they pipped them to the qualifiers top spot.
After a goalless first-half at the Stade Lat Dior, Mane continued his fine scoring run in the national team colours to put Aliou Cisse’s side ahead in the 56th minute.
The Liverpool talisman took his international tally to 23 goals as he closes in on Henri Camara’s all-time record of 31 goals for the West African nation.
Towards the end of the encounter, France-born centre-back Abdou Diallo broke his duck for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up as he doubled their lead nine minutes from time.
Mane played the entire duration alongside PSG’s Idrissa Gueye, Diallo, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was in between the sticks to keep a clean sheet for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, Crystal Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyate and Villarreal’s Boulaye Dia were replaced in the final 10 minutes.
Next up for Senegal is a trip to Congo for their second Group H fixture on September 7 while Togo will shift their attention to hosting Namibia on Sunday after the disappointing loss in Thies.
Prior to Wednesday’s match, Togo coach Paulo Duarte described Aliou Cisse’s men as the favourites to progress from their group to the final qualifying round later in November.
“It’s a tight group, with Senegal starting out with a slight advantage,” Duarte told Fifa’s website. “They’re the favourites and the best team in Africa right now. They’ve got a lot of quality players. On paper, they’re the team to beat in the group, though anything can happen in football.
“The reality on the pitch is different, though. Togo are in a transitional phase, with a lot of key players having retired in the last four years. We’ve gone from being a team that was feared throughout Africa and reached 36 in the world ranking to one that now lies 133rd.”
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