Senegal are through to a second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations final after breaking Burkina Faso hearts in their last-four tie in Yaounde on Wednesday, Abdou Diallo, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Sadio Mane scoring second-half goals to secure a 3-1 victory.
Africa’s top-ranked national team, Senegal will find out their opponents in Sunday's final on Thursday, when hosts Cameroon take on Egypt in the second semi.
“We dedicate this win to our people,” said Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.
“We are really satisfied this evening. Our objective is to win the trophy because that is what the boys deserve given everything they have put into this.”
Cisse’s side had two penalties awarded in the first half only for the Ethiopian referee to change his mind both times following a VAR review.
However, they went ahead just after the midway point in the second period when Paris Saint-Germain defender Diallo popped up in the box to produce a striker's finish.
The second arrived on 76 minutes as Mane provided a superb assist for Gueye, also of PSG, to score, and Mane completed the win late on after Blati Toure had pulled a goal back.
Senegal’s two possible final opponents are the most successful sides in AFCON history with 12 titles between them, while the Lions of Teranga are still searching for their first continental crown, two and a half years after losing to Algeria in the final in Cairo.
“We knew it was not going to be at all easy to get to two straight AFCON finals, but the most important for us now is to go all the way and win it, whoever we come up against,” said Mane.
Senegal’s opponents here could not be underestimated.
Burkina Faso have shown themselves to be a talented young side and one driven on by the desire to give joy to supporters in a country reeling after President Roch Marc Christian Kabore was overthrown in a military coup last week.
That happened to a backdrop of a jihadist insurgency in the landlocked country, and their coach, Kamou Malo, talked of the events giving his team “added motivation”.
Mohamed Elyounoussi equalised with an 80th minute header from James Ward-Prowse's cross, sending Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl running on the pitch to celebrate.
Che Adams nodded home two minutes later from another pin-point Ward-Prowse delivery.
Steven Bergwijn thought he had saved Conte from a first home league defeat with Tottenham, but his stoppage-time effort was disallowed for offside.
“We have to be better to manage the game in different situations. We can improve in this aspect. I knew there was a lot of the job to do,” Conte said.
Tottenham remain seventh, four points adrift of fourth placed West Ham with three games in hand.
Leeds came from 3-1 down to snatch a thrilling 3-3 draw at Aston Villa.
Daniel James fired Leeds ahead in the ninth minute, but Philippe Coutinho equalised in the 30th minute with his second Villa goal since his January loan move from Barcelona.
Villa were in front eight minutes later as Coutinho provided a perfectly weighted pass for Jacob Ramsey to finish.
Ramsey lashed in his second in the 44th minute and once more Coutinho was the catalyst.
But James reducing the deficit with a close-range header and Diego Llorente completed Leeds’ fightback after 63 minutes.
Villa’s Ezri Konsa was sent off in the 87th minute for two bookings.
Wilfried Zaha went from hero to zero as the Ivory Coast forward missed a penalty after scoring Crystal Palace’s equaliser in their 1-1 draw at Norwich.
Third bottom Norwich took the lead after just 39 seconds when Teemu Pukki’s miscued effort squirmed in for the quickest goal in the Premier League this season.
