African Cup of Nations defending champions Senegal opened their title defence with an impressive 3-0 win over 10-man Gambia in their group C game on Monday.
The Senegalese side stamped their status as one of the competition favourites in a way that Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana could not overcome in their opening fixtures at weekend in Côte d’Ivoire.
Pape Gueye started the show with a sublime opening goal after just four minutes to set the defending champions on course for victory over their neighbours who were surprise quarterfinalists in the 2021 edition.
The match between both sides at the end of the first half was interrupted for many viewers around the world when the global broadcast feed was cut out, Sporting News reports.
Cardiff City’s Ebou Adams was sent off for a rough challenge towards the closing stages of the match, leaving the Scorpions of Gambia with a lot to do in the challenging heat and humidity of Yamoussoukro.
Lamine Camara was the man of the show in the second 45′ as Senegal eased to three points. The 20-year-old fired in a low finish to dobule Senegal’s lead just minutes after the restart, but it was his second goal that will make the headlines, as the Metz youngster curling home a stunning first-time strike from the edge of the box.
The result places Senegal firmly on course for the knockout phase. They will face Cameroon in their next match in Group C — a game that could potentially decide who leads the group.
