Senegal claimed a narrow but deserved 1-0 win over Benin to become the first team to advance into the semifinals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Midfielder Idrissa Gueye scored the only goal of the match at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Thursday, securing the Teranga Lions a place in the final four of the AFCON for the first time since 2006.

Chances were hard to come by in the first half, with the defences very much on top. Senegal generally enjoyed the greater share of possession, but they struggled to penetrate Benin’s resilient rearguard, led by the excellent Olivier Verdon.

Senegal star Sadio Mane had a sight of goal relatively early on, but he was denied from a tight angle by goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe and had also been flagged offside anyway.

Just past the midway point of the first half, Benin had their first moment of threat in attack, with Mickael Pote sending a shot just wide of the mark following a free kick for the Squirrels.

The last notable incident before the interval was a scramble in the Benin box in which the Teranga Lions saw several attempts blocked by last-ditch tackles, leaving the teams locked at 0-0 after 45 minutes.

The second half was immediately more open and entertaining, with Pote and Mbaye Niang missing out on good chances at either end within the opening six minutes after the restart, before Kalidou Koulibaly’s header found the back of the net but was ruled out for offside.

The Teranga Lions made a double change a few minutes after the hour mark, with Krepin Diatta and Mbaye Diagne replacing Keita Balde and the injured Niang respectively.

Yet it was Senegal goalkeeper Alfred Gomis who nearly made headlines with an attempted pass from deep in his box which slid off his instep and rolled just wide of the posts, narrowly avoiding a howler of an own goal.

With the match seemingly ambling back into tedium, Senegal claimed the lead on 70 minutes: Mane’s great footwork teed up a chance for the hard-running Idrissa Gueye, who burst into the box and fired a shot past Allagbe for 1-0.

The Lions certainly didn’t rest on their laurels after going ahead, as within five minutes of their goal they saw Mane denied by a great save from Allagbe, had an effort ruled out for a narrow offside call, and came close in a penalty area scramble from which the Squirrels somehow escaped unscathed.

Benin were reduced to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Verdon pulled down Gueye just outside the penalty area as the last man, effectively ruling out any realistic chance of a comeback. Senegal saw out the remainder of the game in relative comfort to secure a semifinal berth against either Madagascar or Tunisia.

Senegal (0) 1 (Gueye 70’)
Benin 0

Senegal: Gomis, Gassama, Kouyate, Koulibaly, Sabaly, Ndiaye, Saivet, Gueye (Sane 89’), Balde (Diatta 65’), Niang (Diagne 64’), Mane

Benin: Allagbe, Baraze, Adilehou, Verdon, Imorou, Soukou (Djigla 81’), D’Almeida (Seibou 69’), Adeoti, Sessegnon, Pote (Dossou 77’), Mounie

Benin will look to open the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals with another upset when they face Senegal at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Wednesday evening, kick-off at 18:00 CAT.

Senegal earned their place in the last eight with a 1-0 win over Uganda in the previous round. Sadio Mane scored the only goal of the game, though he also missed a penalty and still seems to be short of his best form.

Nonetheless, the Teranga Lions enter the match as the clear favourites, given their status as the continent’s top-ranked team and the quality at the disposal of coach Aliou Cisse.

“We won against a strong team. We scored a goal and defended many times in front of a difficult opponent,” said the Senegal boss, who added: “We have to prepare for the next round now which will be much more difficult.”

Benin have been the surprise package of the 2019 AFCON. Securing a first-ever progression beyond the group stage was a great moment for the Squirrels, but they put that in the shade on Friday when they eliminated one of the most impressive teams, Morocco, from the competition.

The teams drew 1-1 after extra time in their last 16 clash – with Moise Adilehou’s goal cancelled out by Youssef En-Nesyri – before Benin triumphed 4-1 on penalties.

"Morocco are a very strong team but we mentally prepared ourselves well and luck was on our side tonight,” said coach Michel Dussuyer.

"Playing with one man less was difficult and we will try to make amends for Khaled Adenon, who will miss the next match. I thank my boys for the remarkable efforts made tonight, I think we can continue this beautiful dream.”

In head-to-head stats, Senegal and Benin have met in six previous matches. The Teranga Lions have claimed four wins compared to one for the Squirrels, while one game was drawn. The teams’ most recent clash was a friendly in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in January 2008 which Senegal won 2-1.