Jackson Double Fires Senegal Past Botswana
Nicolas Jackson struck twice as reigning champions Senegal began their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Botswana at the Grand Stade de Tanger, underlining their status as early tournament favourites.
Defending champions Senegal made a confident start to their Africa Cup of Nations journey after seeing off Botswana 3-0 in Group D, with Nicolas Jackson producing a clinical performance to settle the contest long before the final whistle.
Jackson, leading the line with authority, was at the heart of almost everything Senegal did going forward. He tested Botswana goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko inside the opening minutes and continued to stretch the defence with sharp movement and intelligent positioning as Senegal dominated possession.
The breakthrough arrived five minutes before the interval. Ismail Jakobs burst down the left flank and cut the ball back into the danger area, where Jackson arrived perfectly to guide a first time finish into the net and give the Lions of Teranga a deserved lead.
Senegal picked up where they left off after the break, pinning Botswana deep and creating chances at will. Jackson doubled the advantage on 58 minutes with a moment of individual quality, neatly shifting the ball away from two defenders before calmly slotting past Phoko to make it 2-0.
The Chelsea forward could have completed his hat trick later on but fired over from close range, while Phoko continued to keep the scoreline respectable with a series of outstanding saves, including a fine stop to deny Sadio Mane.
Substitute Cherif Ndiaye wrapped up the win late on, tapping home from close range in the 90th minute after good work from Cheikh Sabaly to put the result beyond doubt.
Despite the scoreline, Botswana can take some encouragement from Phoko’s performance. The goalkeeper was kept busy throughout the evening, making a remarkable 14 saves, but even his heroics were not enough to prevent Senegal from extending their impressive AFCON record.
The victory means Senegal have now gone 12 matches unbeaten at the tournament, excluding penalty shoot outs, and have won their opening match in each of the last six editions. With Jackson in this kind of form, Aliou Cisse’s side have sent a clear message to the rest of the competition.
