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Senegal needed two late goals to battle for a 2-2 draw with Madagascar in Antananarivo on Friday afternoon.
It was the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tie and the west Africans were given an incredible run by their less-fancied opposition. Possession for the Lions of Teranga was in the high 50s for most of the first half, but a dearth of incisive balls proved to be their undoing.
Andriatsima’s 27th minute opener perfectly illustrated the counter-attacking style of the islanders, who relied on flank play most of the time. The second half continued much in the same vein the first did, and before the hour mark Njiva Rakotoharimalala made it 2-0.
A lack of anticipation was to blame as the Stade Municipal de Mahamasina could scarcely believe their good fortune.
Sadly for home fans, the two-goal cushion seemed to have dazed their would-be heroes, and they quickly became villains as the experience of the Senegalese shone through. The visitors stormed back from being two-down with twenty minutes remaining, thanks to back-to-back goals from Moussa Konaté and Sadio Mané.
Moussa Konaté, a second-half substitute, pulled a goal back for the Lions on 71 minutes, with Southampton playmaker Sadio Mané levelling things up ten minutes later to earn Senegal a point.
The second leg in Dakar in four days’ time will be a stormy affair indeed. Aliou Cissé, coach of Senegal, was himself at the World Cup in 2002 with the Lions, and will need a spirited showing to advance into the group stages.
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Russia 2018 Qualifier: Senegal Draw 2-2 With Madagascar
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