A goal just before the half-hour mark from Famara Diedhiou got the Lions of Teranga off to the perfect start but they didn’t have it all their way, as they were ran mightily close by the gallant challenge of Equatorial Guinea.

Guinea, perceived by many to have overachieved just by reaching the knockout stage, equalised through Jannick Buyla and also saw strong shouts for a penalty overturned by VAR review.

Mendy was selected between the sticks by head coach Aliou Cisse and while he didn’t have one of his busier nights in goal, the Chelsea goalkeeper had to be alert to make a couple of important stops while the game was still level.

Edou, who recently won the FIFA Best goalkeeper award, also had to be alert to race off his line and make an important clearance as Guinea looked to catch Senegal on the break.

The large majority of the Equatorial Guinea starting line-up ply their trade in the lower leagues of Spain and other divisions across Europe, while Senegal boasted Champions League winners in Mendy and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, as well as established players such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Idrissa Gueye in their ranks.

Despite the perceived gulf in class, Guinea enjoyed more possession and certainly put Senegal under plenty of pressure as they looked to pull off one of the greatest shocks in AFCON history.

However the strength in depth in the Senegal squad proved too much for Guinea in the end, as Cheikhou Kouyate and Ismaila Sarr – of Crystal Palace and Watford respectively – scored after 68 and 79 minutes to secure the victory.

Senegal will now face Burkina Faso in the semi-final on Wednesday, 2 Feb. The other last-four tie is hosts Cameroon vs Egypt.

Meanwhile there was no such joy for Christian Pulisic and the USA national side, who were defeated 2-0 by Canada in a World Cup qualfiier in Ontario.

The Chelsea star featured on the left of a front three for USA but could do nothing to prevent the Canadians taking the three points - and the bragging rights - in this North America clash, thanks to goals in each half from Cyle Larin and Sam Adekugbe.