Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has confessed Benin scored a magnificent goal that denied his side victory in the 1-1 draw of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture on Saturday night.
Defender Abdoulaye Seck put the Lions of Teranga ahead in the Group L battle at the Stade de l’Amitie in Cotonou but the Squirrels levelled matters in the second half when Abdoul Rachid Moumini unleashed a thunderous effort that riffled into the top left corner of the net to leave Senegal goalkeeper Seny Dieng stranded to the ground.
“Compared to our training sessions, I witnessed some intriguing developments tonight [Saturday]. I am extremely satisfied with the performance that my team displayed. It was a well-contested match, although we didn’t emerge as victors,” Cisse told reporters after the game as quoted by CafOnline.
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“Our objective was to win all our matches in this qualifying campaign, but this time, a magnificent goal from the opposition prevented us from achieving that. I must admit, that goal took me by surprise; it happened in the blink of an eye.”
The outcome saw the Lions of Teranga drop their first points in this campaign. However, they remained top of the group with 13 points, Mozambique second with four points, Rwanda are third with three, the same as last-placed Benin. Rwanda will face Mozambique at Huye Stadium on Sunday.
The African champions will conclude their campaign with a home game against Rwanda on September 4.