Friday 20 January 2017 08:55, UK
Sadio Mane was on the scoresheet as Senegal sailed into the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe at the Stade de Franceville on Thursday.
Goals from Liverpool forward and Henri Saivet ensured the 2002 finalists would progress from Group B with their final match against Algeria to spare, but the margin of victory should have been much larger.
Senegal, who defeated Tunisia in their opening Group B match, started very brightly and twice went close to scoring through Keita Balde and Mame Biram Diouf before Mane put them ahead after nine minutes.
Senegal won the ball back in midfield with Keita, who sent Saivet free down the left. His shot across the goalkeeper was going wide but the ball rolled perfectly into the path of Mane at the far post to tap into an empty net for his second goal of the tournament.
Senegal had only to wait four more minutes to extend their lead as Saivet whipped a lovely curling free-kick over the wall and into the net from 25 yards out.
Zimbabwe had a great chance to equalise as half-time approached but Khama Billiat shot tamely at the goalkeeper.
Diouf spurned a glorious opportunity to score a third goal four minutes after the restart but blazed his left-foot shot over the crossbar. The Stoke striker was then denied by a good piece of goalkeeping from Tatenda Mukuruva shortly afterwards as he raced out to block.
Mukuruva saved his team again midway through the second half as he denied Mane a second goal with another good block, before Costa Nhamoinesu headed Mane's lobbed follow-up away from just in front of his own goal line.
Nyasha Mushekwi stung the palms of Senegal goalkeeper Abdoulaye Diallo and Billiat quickly curled an effort narrowly wide as Zimbabwe threatened.
Moussa Sow and Mane got in each other's way as a good chance went begging before Mukuruva saved to deny Sow and Keita in quick succession in the closing stages.
Tunisia also gave themselves a lifeline and put northern neighbours Algeria on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 win in Franceville.
An Aissa Mandi own goal early in the second half and a Naim Sliti penalty after 66 minutes put Tunisia in control before Sofiane Hanni pulled a goal back in stoppage time but it was too little too late for Algeria, who are already reliant on results elsewhere if they are to progress from Group B.
The result leaves Tunisia with three points from two games, with Algeria having picked up just one point so far in a group that also contains Senegal and Zimbabwe.
It was an end-to-end start to the game. Yacine Brahimi's free-kick was helped over the crossbar by Aymen Mathlouthi, who then made a superb instinctive save to keep out Islam Slimani's header from the resulting corner.
Malik Asselah, in goal for Tunisia ahead of the injured Rais M'Bolhi who has a knee problem, pushed away a Wahbi Khazri free-kick, while back at the other end Mathlouthi fisted away Adlene Guedioura's swerving long-range effort.
Algeria had a huge let-off after 21 minutes when Khazri's low corner flew across the face of goal before almost being turned in at full stretch at the far post by Ahmed Akaichi.
Leicester duo Slimani and Riyad Mahrez combined shortly afterwards but Mathlouthi was down to his right quickly to get a strong hand behind the shot, which was slightly scuffed by Mahrez.
The tempo dipped thereafter but the match came to life again five minutes into the second half when Tunisia took the lead. Ferjani Sassi lifted the ball into the path of Youssef Msakni down the left side and his low cross deflected off Mandi and past the goalkeeper at his near post.
Tunisia doubled their advantage when Msakni's ball over the top brought a mistake from Faouzi Ghoulam, allowing Khazri in on goal. Ghoulam clipped the attacker's heels and Sliti tucked away the penalty.
Algeria had a glimmer of hope when Hanni brilliantly finished Guedioura's cut back into the roof of the net but they could not find an equaliser in the remaining four minutes of stoppage time.
On Friday, the focus returns to Group C as Ivory Coast take on DR Congo at the Stade d'Oyem, followed by Morocco against Togo.
