Mane closing in on Camara’s Senegal goal record

Sadio Mane is closing in on the Senegal goalscoring record held by legendary forward Henri Camara.

The Liverpool star was on target for the Lions of Teranga as they silenced Cape Verde 2-0 in Tuesday’s international friendly.

In the keenly contested affair played at the Stade Lat Dior, Idrissa Gueye put Aliou Cisse’s men ahead in the 56th minute, while Mane sealed the win from the penalty mark with four minutes left on the clock.

Following a foul on Ismaila Sarr in the box, the 2019 Africa Player of the Year rifled the ensuing kick past goalkeeper Sixten Mohlin.

It is his 23rd goal for the West Africans – a feat that saw him overtake Mamadou Diallo.

During his time in the Senegalese national team between 1994–2000, Diallo – who represented Kawkab Marrakech, St. Gallen and Tampa Bay Mutiny scored 22 times for Senegal.

That mark saw him equal Niang’s tally for the two-time Africa Cup of Nations runners-up as the players are now joint-second.

The former Strasbourg and Olympique Marseille striker scored 23 times for Senegal during an international career that spanned between 2002-2012.

Only Camara has bettered the tally since the country played their first international game in 1959, with 31 strikes.

With Mane’s latest effort, he also extended his international scoring run to four. 

While he was in action from start to finish alongside Paris Saint-Germain’s Gueye, Watford’s Sarr was substituted for Mame Thiam in the 86th minute.

For goalkeeper Edouard Mendy - who helped Chelsea beat Manchester City to claim the Champions League title in Portugal - he was started in goal ahead of Rennes’ Alfred Gomis.

Thanks to this result, Senegal are now unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.

Cisse’s side would be hoping this form continues in September when they take on Togo and Congo, respectively, in their World Cup qualifying encounters.

Should Senegal qualify for Qatar 2022, that would be their third appearance at the global football fiesta since their debut in 2002 (South Korea and Japan).

Their last outing at the quadrennial football showpiece was in Russia 2018. There, they crashed out in the preliminary round after failing to scale Colombia, Japan and Poland hurdles in Group H.