Afcon 2021: Senegal player ratings after Guinea goalless draw

Senegal would have gone down in the 31st minute were it not for his superb save after a low drive by Morgan Guilavogui. 

Guinea launched a quick counter-attack that caught the Teranga Lions off guard, but the QPR goalkeeper saved his teammates when he dived to his left and parried away the goal-bound ball.

When Guinea's midfield proved tough to break down, he ventured forward to try and push the opponents into their own half and actually won a free kick in the 36th minute.  

He took the set-piece, but Guinea eventually cleared it.

Ciss also carried out his defensive duties with discipline as he dealt with Syli Nationale's threats from the wings. 

He was unlucky to see his free and pinpoint header parried over the bar by Aly Keita in the 54th minute. 

Cleared a dangerous ball in the fourth minute as Guinea threatened to score an opener. He was in the right position to clear a dangerous ball delivered by Issiaga Sylla in the 17th minute again. 

The Olympiacos defender also did well in stopping Naby Keita from having a full view of the goal area in the 20th minute when Guinea were attacking. 

Cisse was keen again in the 26th minute when he blocked a low shot by Sylla once again as Senegal struggled to contain Guinea from the left wing.

Struggled to deal with the pressure applied by Syli Nationale in the opening minutes as he was mainly targeted by the attackers from the opponent's side.  

The PSG star could not connect to a free-kick in the 53rd minute, although he was unmarked, and thus lost a chance to put his side ahead.

The Bayern Munich star should have done better with the 15th-minute free-kick but he was not clinical enough to beat the wall from a promising spot.  

He shot wide in the 67th minute after he was set through on goal by Mane and wasted another chance for the 2019 finalists.

Although he was silent for the most part of the first half, he showed great skill when he stopped Moriba Kourouma in the 40th minute when Guinea's centre-forward was on his way towards Senegal's penalty box.

Just like Kouyate, N'Diaye failed to stamp his authority in midfield against the determined opponents.

As Sylla proved to be a thorn in the Teranga Lions' flesh, Mbaye did well when he tracked back and stopped the Toulouse full-back at the edge of the box before he could pull the trigger in the 43rd minute.

Won Senegal a free-kick from a promising position in the 12th minute as they grew into the game, but Sarr failed to beat the wall from the promising position with the resultant set-piece.

However, the Liverpool star failed to provide the spark and creativity associated with him, especially while serving Liverpool, when Senegal needed it the most.

Syli Nationale managed to silence the Senegal forward, who could not pose any threat at all in the first half as well as in the second half before he was withdrawn.

With Thiam's presence reduced, Senegal were forced to launch their attacks, especially from the wings.

Just like Thiam, the Villarreal forward had little impact on the game.  

He could not get an opener for the Teranga Lions in the 68th minute when he received a cool pass from Mane when Senegal's dominance was being felt in the game.

Came on for the silent Thiam in the 71st minute and his introduction gave Senegal a sharper edge going forward.

Came on for Boulaye Dia in the 80th minute, but he had no positive impact on the game.

Replaced Sarr in the 90th minute as Senegal ended up registering the first draw in the ongoing tournament.