Sadio Mane scores brace as Senegal shocks Brazil

Sadio Mane scored a second-half brace as the international friendly between Brazil and Senegal ended in a six-goal thriller in Lisbon at the Estádio José Alvalade, with the Africans emerging 4-2 winners.

Both sides met with the Africans assured of a place at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast, having secured 13 points from five games with their only glitch from the last 1-1 draw with the Benin Republic in the AFCON qualifiers last weekend.

The Brazilians’ last two opponents before the game were both Africans, with a 3-1 loss to Morocco followed by a 4-1 win against Guinea Conakry with the Senegal clash, the third consecutive African opponents the Selecao have faced.

West Ham United’s Lucas Pacqueta scored in the eleventh minute from a Vinicius Junior assist before Habib Diallo leveled the score ten minutes later. After a halftime draw, the second half started with a goals frenzy in six minutes.

It started with an own goal from Marquinhos in the 52nd minute to put the Africans in the lead before Sadio Mane made it 3-1 three minutes later. Brazil pulled one back in the 58-minute through Marquinhos, who atoned for his own goal.

There was still enough time for one more goal when Sadio Mane scored a late penalty to make Senegal the first team to come from behind and beat Brazil in 11 years. The Teranga Lions are the third African team to ever beat Brazil after Cameroon at the last World Cup and Morocco in a friendly at the last international break.

In other friendlies played, Germany lost 2-0 to Colombia at the Veltins-Arena on Tuesday evening. A first half filled with action ended goalless, with the South Americans demanding penalties twice but with none given.

German goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen also pulled some stunning saves to keep the scores level at halftime, but there was little he could do when Luis Diaz scored in the 54th minute and a late penalty from Juan Cuadrado.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu