Idrissa Gana Gueye grabbed the only goal as Senegal scrapped through past Benin 1-0 and send the Teranga Lions into the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Everton Midfielder was the architect of his own goal as he started the move and linked up with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane.

The Teranga Lions struggled to break down their determined opponents for a lengthy period in the match.

But Gana Gueye eventually grabbed the winner after he combined well will Mane and then sprinted upfield to virtually steal the ball off his team mate and tuck away a neat finish in the 70th minute.

Gana Gueye might have had a second goal some eight minutes from time with a similar surging run through the midfield but was pulled back on the edge of the Benin penalty area by defender Olivier Verdon, who was promptly sent off.

Senegal created the better chances in the contest but couldn’t fashion any clear cut chances. VAR came into play on a couple of occasions with Sadio Mane’s both goals chopped off after a Review.

Benin’s Olivier Verdon was sent off in the closing moments of the game for a foul on Gana, who earned his 63rd cap for his country.

Senegal must wait until Thursday to find out whether they meet either Madagascar or Tunisia in Sunday’s semi-final