SADIO MANE WAS the villain as Africa Cup of Nations favourites Senegal crashed out of the tournament with a dramatic 5-4 penalty shoot-out defeat to Cameroon in Franceville.
After 120 minutes of action had failed to produce a goal, Mane was the only man to miss his penalty on the same day his Liverpool side crashed out of the FA Cup to Championship side Wolves.
Goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa – the back-up stopper for Sevilla’s B team – was the unlikely hero with the save, allowing substitute Vincent Aboubakar to hit the winning kick, leaving Mane absolutely distraught.
The defeat will provide a nasty sense of deja vu for Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse, who – as captain – missed the decisive penalty against Cameroon in the 2002 final.
Senegal are still waiting for a first major trophy, while Cameroon are just two steps away from winning their first title since that success 15 years ago.
Cameroon will play DR Congo or Ghana in Thursday’s semi-final.
It remains to be seen if Mane will be part of the Liverpool side for Tuesday’s huge Premier League clash with Chelsea.
