Liverpool forward Sadio Mane fired Senegal past Burkino Faso and into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations as he provided a goal and an assist in their 3-1 win.

The 29-year-old set up Paris Saint Germain’s Idrissa Gueye to fire Senegal into a 2-0 lead, half an hour into the second half, before Burkino Faso hit back thanks to Blati Toure’s first international goal six minutes later, leaving the contest on a knife edge.

Step forward, Sadio Mane. The Liverpool star burst away on the counter-attack three minutes from time, before showing the composure that makes him one of the most feared forwards in Europe, chipping calmly over the onrushing goalkeeper.

In doing so, he took Senegal to their second successive AFCON final, having fallen at the final hurdle in the 2019 edition of the tournament as they lost 1-0 to Algeria. He could yet be set to face teammate Mohamed Salah in this season’s crunch tie too, with Egypt set to take on Cameroon on Thursday evening for a spot as the only team standing between Mane and AFCON glory.

Mane equals national record

In finding the back of the net, Mane equalled the record for Senegal’s top scorer of all time, having now scored 29 times for his country. It is a record currently shared with Henri Camara, although Jurgen Klopp’s man has managed it in eight fewer appearances.

It also means that he heads to the final on the cusp of both personal and team success, which would cap off an AFCON that will live long in his memory.

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