Senegal shocked the football world by defeating Brazil 4-2 in a thrilling international friendly held in Lisbon, Portugal on June 20, 2023.
Sadio Mane, the talented Senegalese international and Bayern Munich winger, was the standout player of the match.
He scored two impressive goals in the 55th minute of the second half and during the exciting seven minutes of second-half extra time.
These goals secured a historic victory for Senegal against the formidable Brazil, who are ranked third-best in the FIFA rankings and are former world champions.
The match started with Lucas Pacqueta scoring an early goal for Brazil in the 11th minute of the first half, assisted by Viniscius Junior of Real Madrid.
However, Senegal’s Habib Diallo quickly equalized in the 22nd minute, setting the stage for an intense battle.
In the second half, Senegal took control of the game when Marquinhos of Brazil scored an own goal, giving Senegal a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute.
Sadio Mane extended Senegal’s lead to 3-1 just three minutes later, leaving the Brazilian team stunned.
Marquinhos managed to redeem himself with a goal in the 58th minute, bringing Brazil’s tally to 2, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Senegal’s dominance.
Sadio Mane's goal vs Brazil was superb Senegal 🇸🇳 played beautiful football ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/pLJ4jgDA6S
— Collins Okinyo (@bedjosessien) June 21, 2023
In other events, the qualifying matches for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) took place on June 20, 2023, in various city centers across the continent.
Groups C, D, and I witnessed intense clashes in the fifth round of matches.
At the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Burundi defeated Namibia 3-2 in an exciting encounter.
Abedi Bigirimana, Bonfils-Caleb B., and Hussain Shabani scored three quick goals for Burundi within the first 20 minutes of the first half.
Namibia’s Peter Shalulile managed to reduce the deficit with a goal in the 41st minute, and Wendell Rudath scored Namibia’s second goal in the 85th minute.
However, Burundi’s early lead secured their victory. Namibia currently leads Group C with 5 points after five rounds of matches, closely followed by Burundi with 4 points.
Cameroon, a football powerhouse in Africa, is also in contention with 4 points after three matches.
The match between Ethiopia and Malawi at the Estadio Do Zimpeto Stadium in Maputo, Mozambique, ended in a goalless draw after 90 minutes of regulation time.
As a result, Egypt maintains its comfortable lead in Group D with 12 points from five matches. Guinea holds the second position with 9 points, while Ethiopia and Malawi sit in third and fourth place with 4 points each.
In Group I, Mauritania showcased a dominant performance, defeating Sudan 3-0 at the Agadir Stadium in Agadir, Morocco.
With this win, Mauritania now leads the group with 8 points after five rounds of matches.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon are in second and third positions, respectively, both with 7 points. Sudan are behind in the group with 6 points after five matches.