Nicolas Jackson struck once in each half as Senegal opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Botswana in Tangier on Tuesday night.
The former champions delivered a commanding performance to lay down an early marker as they look to reclaim the title they surrendered to the Ivory Coast in 2023.
Senegal controlled the contest from the outset, overwhelming Botswana with sustained pressure and creating a steady stream of chances.
Their dominance was finally rewarded five minutes before the interval when Jackson broke the deadlock, meeting Ismail Jakobs’ cross from the left with a composed first-time finish to settle any lingering frustration.
Botswana were largely kept in the game by goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko, who produced a series of impressive saves during the opening 40 minutes.
He denied Jackson on two occasions and also kept out efforts from Sadio Mane twice and Iliman Ndiaye as Senegal pushed relentlessly for an opening goal.
The pattern of the match remained unchanged after the break and Jackson doubled his tally in the 58th minute, showing good awareness to convert a pass from Ismaila Sarr.
Senegal continued to dictate the tempo and wrapped up the result in stoppage time, with substitute Cherif Ndiaye sweeping home from a Cheikh Sabaly cross after replacing Jackson late on.
After the match, Jackson was named Man of the Match and expressed his delight with both his contribution and the team’s performance.
He said: “I am very happy to have started on this note by scoring two goals and hopefully it is the start of many goals to come.
“Most importantly we won the match and played well. It is an important victory but now it is behind us and we will move our focus to the next game.”