Togo unexpectedly put up firm resistance on Wednesday but ultimately fell 2-0 in Thiès to a dominant Senegal side who found their scoring touch in the second half, putting the Teranga Lions top of Group H in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying. A moment of magic created by star Sadio Mané and Boulaye Dia made the difference as the two combined to provide the opener before defender Abdou Diallo finished things off late with his first goal for Senegal.
Senegal came out a bit flat in the first half and let Togo get into the game a bit too much for the comfort of Senegalese supporters. Togolese captain Dakonam Djene and talented young goalkeeper Malcolm Barcola were in excellent form and helped the Sparrow Hawks put up a formidable barrier that the Senegalese found quite difficult to break down. By the time the halftime whistle sounded with the score still 0-0, it seemed a possibility that Togo could even push for a road victory.
However, the Senegalese came out with fire in the second half and began to lay siege to the Togo goal. The 56th minute brought the big moment when Mané collected the ball at the corner of the Togolese penalty area, playing pass to Dia who was making a run towards the end line. Dia waited for Mané to make his run before slotting a low pass to the Liverpool playmaker, who set himself up with a good first touch before firing past Barcola.
Barcola came up with a couple more excellent saves to keep Senegal from running away, but he had no chance to save the second goal late on. A Mané corner kick was headed across the box to a wide open Diallo and the Paris Saint-Germain player took the ball off the bounce and unleashed a half volley from close range that flew past a helpless Barcola.
Senegal look to be in good shape and will see if Namibia or Republic of Congo joins them at the top of the group. Highlights are in the link below.
