The New Vision

Wasteful Senegal

Publication date: Wednesday, 23rd January, 2008

There was end to end action in the Tunisia-Senegal match that produced four goals

PAUL MBUGA

Senegal 2 Tunisia 2

MEJDI Traoui produced a moment of emphatic genius to rescue Tunisia a point ЦЦ and put himself in the reckoning for Goal of the Tournament ЦЦ as the Carthage Eagles drew 2-2 with Senegal in Tamale last night.

Tunisia had been on the ropes for much of the second half, and looked done and dusted when Diomansy Kamara pounced in the 66th minute to give the marauding Lions of Teranga a 2-1 lead.

Issam Jomaa had given the Carthage Eagles a deserved ninth-minute lead as Senegal started the match in leaden-footed style, exposed for pace by the more intuitive Tunisians.

But the 2004 champions had not banked on an act of charity from their captain: on the stroke of halftume, Raidhi Jaidi committed himself to a sliding clearance but failed to inject the necessary momentum into the ball, and it fell onto the path of Moustapha Bayal, who finished with aplomb.

It was a weighty setback, and Senegal came back in the second-half much the stronger, wasting two gilt-edged chances after Kamara and Mamadou Niang saw their decision-making fail them when it was most crucial.

Kamara eventually scored, reacting sharply after a goalmouth melee to stab home, but Traoui still had one devastating swing of his boot stocked in reserve.

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Zambia 3 Sudan 0

Zambia profited from an early goal to score a resounding 3-0 win over Sudan in their opening Group C match on Tuesday. James Chamanga, Jacob Mulenga and Felix Katongo scored the goals for Zambia.

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