Sadio Mane has been cleared to play for Senegal in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Quarter-Final stage game against Equatorial Guinea.
The 29-year-old was substituted in the second half of their Round-of-16 win over Cape Verde, after a clash of heads with the islanders’ goalkeeper Josimar Dias Vozinha. The shot-stopper was sent off after the match referee adjudged him to have fouled Mane.
Both players were taken to the hospital after the incident for checkups.
Senegal’s doctor Abdourahmane Fédior said ahead of Sunday’s game that Mane underwent examinations that showed no trace of concussion.
“All the symptoms he had on the pitch are gone. His condition requires fairly close monitoring. Everything is normal on the X-ray,” Fédior is quoted to say in a statement released by the Senegalese federation.
Mane is the reigning African Footballer of the Year.
Having lost to Algeria in the final game of the 2019 AFCON, Mane and his teammates hope to better their tournament result in this edition by lifting the trophy.
The West Africans have however struggled to put games to beg, only managing one win in three Group Stage games.
On the other hand,Equatorial Guinea are one of the surprise packages at the Africa Cup of Nations as they have made it to the last eight after causing a few upsets at the tournament.
Following an opening-day defeat at the hands of Ivory Coast on January 13, the National Thunder stunned defending African champions Algeria to a 1-0 victory four days later when Esteban Orozco scored a 70th-minute winner to get their campaign up and running.
Juan Micha’s men then picked up a second consecutive 1-0 victory when they saw off Sierra Leone in their final group outing on January 20 to progress to the knockout stages as runners-up in Group E with six points from three games.
Drawn against a significantly-superior Malian side in the round of 16, Equatorial Guinea stuck to the game plan all day, frustrating the Eagles and forcing penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.
The Central Africans held their nerves from 12 yards and secured a 6-5 victory on penalties with Santiago Bocari Eneme converting the all-important strike to send the Malians packing.
Equatorial Guinea head into Sunday’s game unbeaten in all but one of their last nine games across all competitions — claiming five wins and three draws — with their defeat against Ivory Coast being the only exception.
Head To Head
This will be just the second encounter at the Africa Cup of Nations between Senegal and Equatorial Guinea, with the National Thunder winning the previous such game, in the group stages in 2012 (2-1).
Senegal have progressed from three of their last five quarter-final matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, while they’re looking to reach the semi-finals in consecutive tournaments for the first time.
Equatorial Guinea have lost just one of their last five Africa Cup of Nations games (W2 D2), keeping four clean sheets and conceding just once – more shutouts than they managed in their previous nine matches in the competition combined (3).
