Senegal v Benin: Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final – live!

A second-half improvement and a lovely goal by Idrissa Gueye keeps Senegal on course for their first ever Africa Cup of Nations title. The favourites will play either Madagascar or Tunisia in the semi-final. Benin, meanwhile, bow out after a gallant tournament. They made it tough for Senegal here and were only beaten by a flash of real quality.

90+2 min: Now Mounié sees yellow, for brushing his marker with his hand as both jumped for the ball. Again: ridiculously harsh.

90+1 min: Mané gets a yellow card. It’s not clear what it was for, possibly handball, which would be ridiculously harsh because he knew nothing about it ricocheting off an opponent on to his arm.

90 min: The Squirrels have at least five more minutes to pull a rabbit from the hat, which looks as improbable as it sounds.

Senegal substitution: Sané on, Gueye off. The Everton man took charge in the second half and showed the dynamism and quality that looks like sending his country to the semi-final.

89 min: Note: Diatta has done more since coming on than Balde has done in the whole tournament, both going forward and defensively.

87 min: A wonderful run by Mané, who has dramatically upped his game in this half, although, having said that, that run came undone when the pass at the end of it went straight to an opponent.

85 min: Diagne strokes the freekick over the five-man wall but not with the kind of power that could worry Allagbé, who saves easily.

84 min: Mane and Gueye combine brilliantly again, the Liverpool man picking out the Evertonian’s bursting run from deep. Verdon pulls him down at the edge of the area and there’s only one thing the referee can do about that.

82 min: Senegal don’t look like letting this slip; they took the lead by cranking up the quality and they haven’t dropped it since.

79 min: Kouyaté dinks a freekick into the Beninese box. Verdon ducks to let it run to the keeper, which it does despite the fact that Diagne tried to intervene.

77 min: Pandemonium in the Benin box and Senegal carve them open again and seem certain to score … but three last-ditch clearances foil Diagne and Mané!

76 min: No goal! Mané is deemed to have been ahead of Barazé when the pass was made. The Var officials must have a different angle to the one shown to me, because he looked level to me.

74 min: Mané dashes on to a through-ball and rounds the keeper and before slotting home and wheeling away in celebration – but it is it a goal? That’s for Var to decide….

72 min: Senegal, buoyed by the opening goal, want to kill the game right now: Diatta hurtles down the right and picks out Mane with a low pass into the centre. Allagbe makes a super save to deny him, and then Mama makes an even better tackle to prevent Senegal scoring on the rebound!

Senegal show their class at last and help themselves to a brilliant goal! Gueye started it by fizzing a pass from midway to Mané near the D, then dashing forward for the return ball, which Mané provided. And Gueye crowned it with a sharp finish!

Benin substitution: Mama on, D’Almeida off – he must be tired, otherwise there was no case to bring him off.

66 min: Sabalay rolls the ball back to Gomis, who takes his eye off it and, in trying to stroke it to another defender, shanks a kick ridiculously close to his own goal! When he sees it spins just wide of his post he thanks his lucky stars, and apologises to his teammates! In a way, that would have been a suitable way for Seengal to go out, as they just haven’t been truly at it and far far below the sum of their parts.

Senegal substitution: Diatta on, Balde off. It had to be done.

65 min: Koulibaly plays another good pass over the top for Sabalay, who scampers down the left and into the box but then blazes a wild cross to nowhere useful.

Senegal substitution: Diagne on, Niang goes off on a stretcher, seemingly after incurring some manner of muscle strain.

61 min: D’Almeida, who has been very lively throughout but especially in thes second half, nicks the ball off Gueye and then gets accidentally clobbered by the Everton midfielder. That gives Benin a freekick in a very useful crossing position to the right o the Senegalese box. Soukou’s delivery is good. Verdon gets up well but can’t keep his header down, nodding over the bar from 10 yards.

60 min: Olivier Verdon, who is wearing No6 and has “OV6” shaved into the side of his head just in case he forgets who he is, is penalised for an awkward tackle about 23 yards from his goal. Saivet steps up to take the freekick … and curls it high and wide.

58 min: Some swish play by Senegal! They raised the tempo of their passing and suddenly looked much sharper. Mane produced a touch of class to help a fizzed pass on to Niang, whose first touch near the penalty spot was good, but Adilehou made a tremendous tackle to stop him getting off a shot.

54 min: Saivet delivers another dangerous freekick. Koulibaly flicks it on and Mané finishes with a close-range nod into the net! Senegla have the breakthrough! Except. no, they don’t! Because Mane was offside – not when the freekick was taken, but when Koulibaly helped it on. The officials, in fairness, didn’t need Var to get that right.

52 min: D’Almeida robs the ball off Mané in midfield. AM I right that Yeovil let this lad go at the end of last season?

50 min: From out by the right-hand touchline Saivet sends in an inviting freekick. Niang tries to chest it into the net from 10 yards. It has neither the power nor the accuracy to bother keeper. Why he eschewed the diving header there, I’ve no idea.

48 min: Beautiful play by Soukou down the right. After nutmegging a defender he races down the ring and sends a low cross towards Mounié, who is coming on to it at high speed near the penalty area. He fails to make a proper connection but the ball runs through to Poté, who takes it under control and tries to guide a low curler past the keeper from 16 yards, but he doesn’t catch it very cleanly and Gomis gets down to make a comfortable save. In summary, brilliant by Gomis, not so hot from Benin’s forwards.

47 min: D’Almeida gets back to intercept a pass from Mané. Moments later the Yeovil man joins an attack and tries to finish it in style, letting fly from 25 yards with an efforts that whistles past the post.

Benin will be satisfied with that: Senegal had most of the ball but seldom looked like doing anything with it, while Benin threatened on rare counter-attacks, especially from setpieces. The Squirrels can fancy their chances of nicking this! The favourites need to improve big time by moving themselves and the ball faster and smarter.

45+1 min: More snappy play from Senegal – that narrow escape a few minutes ago has perked them right up! Except Niang, apparently, because he gets the ball stuck at his feet after being presented with it in the box. Benin converge on him and clear.

45 min: Koulibably unlocks the Benin defence with another fine ball from deep. Sabaly takes it down on the left and looks up to see Mane free in the centre, begging for a tap-in! But Sabaly’s pass is dreadful, straight to the backtracking Verdon, who clears gratefully!

44 min: Soukou is aghast to be booked after winning the ball via a fine sliding tackle on Ndiaye, after which he got up and blasted into the net from the edge of the area. Soukou’s baffled anger is understandable: I don’t think that was a foul, let alone a bookable offence! Senegal are lucky to be level.