Senegal Coach Aliou Cisse has predicted “a big battle” when they come up against Burkina Faso in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.
The Lions of Teranga have maintained a false image throughout the competition to reach the last four of the 33rd edition, after a 3-1 victory against Equatorial Guinea at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon on Sunday.
Famara Diedhiou, Cheikhou Kouyate, and Ismaila Sarr scored for the Lions of Teranga, while Jannick Buyla Sam pulled a goal back for the Nzalang Nacional but it was not enough to help them progress.
Cisse praised his players for the hard-fought win against a good Equatorial Guinea side, but warned his charges not to get carried away ahead of their semi-final showdown with the Stallions.
The Stallions reached the semis after beating Tunisia 1-0, the goal coming courtesy of Dango Aboubacar Ouattara on the stroke of half-time at Omnisports Roumde Stadium in Garoua on Saturday.
“We played a hard-fought game against a good Equatorial Guinean team, we had the mentality to score three goals, we must congratulate the opposing team who were technically capable of creating problems for us,” Cisse said after the game as quoted by Cafonline.
“We must remember a good victory tonight [Sunday], synonymous with qualifying for the semi-finals. We have had a very difficult start to our preparations, but we worked well afterwards and today we are gaining momentum.
“We must not get carried away because against Burkina Faso, it will be a big battle,” he added.
