Sadio Mane's club future may be the focus of much speculation but the Liverpool forward did not let that affect his form after scoring a hat-trick for Senegal in their 3-1 win over Benin to Saturday to get their Africa Cup of Nations title defence started in style.
Mane, who suggested on Friday he might be leaving Liverpool with German champions Bayern Munich expected to be his next destination, netted two penalties in his hat-trick as Senegal made light work of their visitors in the Group L encounter.
The 30-year-old reigning African Footballer of the Year converted a 12th-minute penalty at the national stadium in Diamniadio near Dakar. Mane struck again on 23 minutes, bursting into the box and scoring at the second attempt after goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe blocked his initial shot.
Benin had Sessi D'Almeida sent off early in the second half of the 2023 qualifier and Mane completed his hat-trick on the hour from another penalty before Junior Olaitan reduced arrears.
Next up for Senegal is a trip to Rwanda on Tuesday, and it is hard to imagine any result other than another victory for the Teranga Lions.
Rwanda drew 1-1 away to Mozambique and they share second place behind Senegal and ahead of Benin, who were guided by caretaker Moussa Latoundji after the departure of French coach Michel Dussuyer.
Mali thrashed Congo 4-0 in Bamako in a winning debut for new coach Eric Sekou Chelle while Algeria, Gambia and Mauritania were also winners on a busy Saturday programme of qualifiers for the next finals in the Ivory Coast.
Algeria won 2-0 at home against Uganda with a fortuitous goal off the chest of fullback Aissa Mandi that was followed by a mazy individual effort from Youcef Belaili for the second.
El Bilal Toure scored twice for Mali, who narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification in March, as they took early command of Group G, joining Gambia on three points.
Belgian-based Abdoulie Jallow scored the game’s only goal as Gambia, a surprise quarter-finalist at the finals in Cameroon earlier this year, beat South Sudan 1-0 in the other group game.
Striker Aboubakar Kamara scored twice for Mauritania as they won 3-0 at home to Sudan in Group I.
Namibia’s Peter Shalulile scored an early goal against Burundi but they gave up a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw while Tanzania took a first-minute lead away against Niger but also ended up sharing the points in a 1-1 draw.
On Sunday, Mohamed Salah's Egypt host Guinea while Qatar World Cup qualifiers Ghana and Tunisia are away to the Central African Republic and Botswana respectively.
