Senegal 0-0 Guinea: Mane & Co. held in uninspiring clash

Senegal failed to take advantage of their apparent superiority against Guinea as they were held to a 0-0 draw at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Lions of Teranga reached the final of the 2019 tournament but are still awaiting their first AFCON title and better attacking play will be required for them to do so on the evidence of this Group B encounter.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was left to rue the absence of Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Guinea’s Naby Keita, as well as Mohamed Salah of Egypt, in their 0-0 EFL Cup draw with Arsenal on Thursday. But neither Mane nor Keita could provide the moment of magic to break the deadlock in Bafoussam, though it was not for lack of trying.

Guinea, for whom Keita played a game-high 18 passes in the opposition half, should have taken the lead in the 31st minute when Morgan Guilavogui shot straight at Seny Timothy Dieng after a counter-attack, while Mane created Senegal’s best chance of the game in the 67th minute only for Bouna Sarr to skew hopelessly wide from close range.

Sarr’s miss encapsulated a match in which the two teams combined for just three shots on target, though both should sail into the next round having each claimed four points from two games in a group with minnows Malawi and Zimbabwe.