The TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, reaches the semifinal stage with Burkina Faso and Senegal locking horns in a West-African Derby at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 19:00 GMT.
Dreaming of their first ever TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations title, the Stallions and Teranga Lions will search for a place in the February 6 much-awaited Grand Finale.
This will be the third Africa Cup of Nations encounter between Burkina Faso and Senegal and the first in the knock-out rounds, with Senegal unbeaten in the previous two matches in the group stages (W1 D1).
The Teranga Lions of Senegal have won five of their last six knock-out matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, keeping four clean sheets and conceding just twice – their only defeat in the 2019 final against Algeria (1-0).
Senegal could reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time – no team has played in more finals (2) without ever winning. Meanwhile, the Lions of Teranga could become the first side to play in consecutive finals since Egypt in 2010.
Coach Aliou Cissé and his side reached the AFCON semifinals for the second time in a row and are eyeing a title that eluded them for a long time. Senegal lost the finals in 2002 and 2019.
The Teranga Lions had a shaky start in Cameroon but have since improved and getting better since the Round of 16. “We have recovered our players little by little, we are right in it”, said Senegalese coach Aliou Cissé , a former Paris Saint Germain player.
Senegal’s Sadio Mané has scored seven goals from 27 shots at the Africa Cup of Nations since the start of 2017, with a shot conversion rate of 26%. This means only Nigeria’s Odian Ighalo who scored 5 goals from 12 shots, a shot conversion rate of 42%, has a better ratio among players to score four or more goals during this period.
Burkina Faso – Writing history
Burkina Faso on the other hand, will play in its fourth semi-final match at the Africa Cup of Nations, having been eliminated in two of the previous three – last progressing to the final in 2013 with a 3-2 victory over Ghana on penalties.
The Stallions of Burkina Faso have impressed since the start of the competition with a fluid, offensive and forward-looking game.
The Burkinabe finished third in their last appearance in Gabon in 2017. After missing the last edition in Egypt, the Stallions are now eyeing to better their AFCON record after finishing the 2013 edition as runners-up.
“The match against Senegal will be like a final. We will play all our assets to go to the final and seek the crown,” said goalkeeper Hervé Koffi, one of the team’s best performers in Cameroon so far.
“The most important thing for us is to go as far as possible in the competition. I’m satisfied with my teammates, and I can promise you that we’re going to do our best to get the title. We are expecting a great match this Wednesday against Senegal with positive pressure”.
Kouakou Hervé Koffi, Goalkeeper of Burkina Faso
Kamou Malo, Coach of Burkina Faso, stated that his team will play its normal game despite coming up against one of the best teams in the World and the continent’s current highest ranked team by FIFA.
“Personally, I achieved my goal, but as a competitor I aim to win the trophy next Sunday. We are determined to go all the way to win the title. Against Senegal, a great footballing country, we have to be ourselves. The main thing is to play our usual game.”
Kamou Malo
The second semifinal match between Cameroon and Egypt will take place tomorrow at exactly 19:00 GMT to confirm the two finalist for the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
READ ALSO: GDP Growth For 2021 To Exceed Target – BoG
