Sadio Mane starred in Senegal's 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea as he helped guide his country into the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Liverpool forward laid on an inch-perfect through ball for Famara Diedhiou to score the opening goal of the game, shortly before the half-hour mark.
Senegal were then pegged back by an equaliser early in the second half, before goals from Crystal Palace midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, both as substitutes, restored the team’s control of the tie.
Despite his effectiveness during the game, the decision to start Mane was controversial, given the clash of heads that the 29-year-old had suffered in the previous round.
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Mane was forced to leave the field after colliding with Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha last week.
Though the Reds star initially opted to play on - and successfully opened the scoring - he was subsequently substituted and taken to hospital for medical checks.
However, both Mane and Senegal coach Cisse insisted that he was fit to play in the quarter-final tie, and he proved to be a constant thorn in the side of Equatorial Guinea’s defence.
His familiar runs off the left flank proved to be Senegal’s main form of attack as he continually got the better of his marker Basilio Ndong, creating sharp cutbacks from the byline that narrowly evaded his team-mates.
Senegal did survive an early scare after the interval, however, as a penalty given against Napoli’s Kalibou Koulibaly for handball was overturned after a VAR check.
The result means that Senegal will now face Burkina Faso in the semi-final on Wednesday as they look to win the tournament for the first time.
Mane’s Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah also ensured Egypt’s progress into the semi-finals earlier on in the day as he scored and assisted the goals in his country’s 2-1 extra-time win over Morocco.
Egypt will now take on hosts Cameroon on Thursday, with the prospect of the two Redmen facing off against each other in the final still a possibility.
