The Senegalese national team began its title defense in the Africa Cup of Nations with a convincing 3-0 victory over Gambia on Monday in Côte d'Ivoire. Senegalese midfielder Pape Gueye opened the scoring just 4 minutes after the start of the match. Another Senegalese player, Lamine Camara, scored the second and third goals in the 52nd and 86th minutes of the match.
Gambia finished the match with ten players after their player Ibo Adams was sent off in the final minute of the first half, at the "Charles Konan Banny Stadium" in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast. With this win, the defending champions Senegal topped Group C with 3 points, awaiting the outcome of the second match between Cameroon and Guinea later in the evening. It is noteworthy that the winner and runner-up of each group directly qualify for the Round of 16, along with the best 4 third-placed teams across the six groups.
