Dakar, Nov 13 (APS) – Senegal and Burkina Faso play, Thursday, in Bamako, the Malian capital, the fifteenth confrontation in their history during the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations (CAN) football Morocco 2025.
Senegal and Burkina Faso share Group L of these qualifiers with Malawi and Burundi.
The Lions of Senegal, with 10 points (+ 6), occupy second place in their group, behind the Stallions of Burkina Faso (10 points + 7), while the Burundians, with 3 points, arrive in third place, followed Malawians at the back of the pack.
After its match against Burkina Faso on Thursday, Senegal will host Burundi on November 19 at the Abdoulaye-Wade stadium in Diamniadio, about thirty kilometers east of Dakar.
Senegal and Burkina Faso have faced each other 14 times. The last confrontation dates back to September 6, 2024 at the Abdoulaye-Wade stadium in Diamniadio, for the first day of the CAN 2025 qualifiers.
The match ended in a draw (1-1), after Burkinabè equalized in added time of the second period (95 minutes).
In all of their matches, the Lions have won four times compared to two for the Stallions. The two teams have drawn eight times.
Regarding the number of goals scored, Senegal has 21 compared to 16 for Burkina Faso.
When the two selections faced each other in a friendly, on January 24, 1982, for the first time in their history, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso was called Upper Volta at the time, the name inherited from colonization.
On August 4, 1984, Upper Volta became Burkina Faso, which means the Land of Upright Men. A way for the then head of state, Thomas Sankara, assassinated on October 15, 1987, to ”break with the colonial past”.
Five years after their first match, the two teams faced each other in a match for third place at the ECOWAS Cup, in Monrovia, Liberia with Senegal winning by a score of 1 goal to nil.
Eleven years later, Senegal and Burkina Faso meet again for the CAN 2000 qualifiers, organized jointly by Ghana and Nigeria (January 22-February 13). The two nations drew on the first leg in Dakar (1-1) and on the return leg in Ouagadougou (2-2).
Less than a year after this double confrontation, Lions and Stallions share group C of CAN 2000, with the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Chipolopolos of Zambia. Senegal won 3-1 and finished second in the group behind Egypt. Burkina Faso, last, is eliminated.
On December 26, 2001, in Dakar, the Burkinabé beat Senegal by a large score of 4-2, for their sixth match, this time in a friendly.
As at CAN 2000, the two teams again share group B, at CAN 2004 in Tunisia with Mali and Kenya. Their meeting ended in a goalless draw. Senegal once again finished in second place in the group behind Egypt. Burkina Faso, last, is eliminated.
Senegal eliminates Burkina Faso in the semi-final at CAN 2021
In October 2006 and June 2007, the two teams met in the CAN 2008 qualifiers in Ghana. The Stallions won in the first leg, in Ouagadougou (1-0). The Lions will take their revenge in style, dominating the Stallions 5-1 in Dakar.
Seven years later, the two countries met again for a friendly meeting which ended with a draw (1-1).
The qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia will once again pit the two teams who share Group D with Cape Verde and South Africa against each other. They recorded their sixth and seventh draw in the first leg, in Dakar, (0-0) and the return in Ouagadougou (2-2). Senegal finishes first in the group and qualifies.
In the semi-final of CAN 2021 in Cameroon, the Lions eliminated the Stallions with a score of 3 goals to 1. It was the fourth victory for the Senegal national team over that of Burkina Faso.
That year, the Lions won the continental football tournament for the first time in their history.
SK/OID/ABB/SBS
