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Nicholas Jackson scored once in each half as Senegal opened the scoring African Cup of Nations campaign with an emphatic 3-0 victory against Botswana in Tangier Tuesday evening.
The former champions delivered an impressive performance to set a first milestone as they look to reclaim the title they surrendered to Ivory Coast in 2023.
Senegal controlled the contest from the start, overwhelming Botswana with sustained pressure and creating a steady stream of chances.
Their dominance was finally rewarded five minutes before the break when Jackson opened the scoring, meeting Ismail Jakobs’ cross from the left with a composed first-time strike to ease any lingering frustration.
Botswana were largely kept in the match by goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko, who made a series of impressive saves in the opening 40 minutes.
He denied Jackson twice and also prevented efforts from Sadio Mané twice and Iliman Ndiaye as Senegal pushed relentlessly to open the scoring.
The pattern of the match remained unchanged after the break and Jackson doubled his tally in the 58th minute, showing good awareness to convert an Ismaila Sarr pass.
Senegal continued to dictate the pace and wrapped up the result in stoppage time, substitute Cherif Ndiaye heading home a Cheikh Sabaly cross after replacing Jackson late on.
After the match, Jackson was named Man of the Match and expressed his satisfaction with both his contribution and the team’s performance.
He said: “I’m very happy to have started on this note by scoring two goals and I hope this is the start of many goals to come.
“The most important thing is that we won the match and played well. It’s an important victory but now it’s behind us and we will focus on the next match.”
