Mane declared fit to play Senegal’s Afcon clash vs Equatorial Guinea just days after hospital dash over concussion fears
SADIO MANE has been declared fit to play in Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Equatorial Guinea following his concussion scare.
Mane went down in a heap after a clash of heads with Cape Verde's keeper Vozinha, who was sent off following the incident.
However, the Liverpool hit-man proceeded to carry on playing - and his health gamble paid off when he scored Senegal's opening goal in the last-16 clash just 10 minutes later.
But, after his goal, the 29-year-old hit the deck clutching his head before having to be helped up and subsequently substituted.
And the Senegalese were slammed for not taking Mane off sooner by Headway's deputy chief executive Luke Griggs who said the nation put the game's result before their star player's health.
Mane was rushed to the hospital shortly after as a precaution and he's been recovering ever since.
And now, the winger's been given the all-clear to help fire Senegal past Equatorial Guinea in the Afcon quarter-final on Sunday.
The Daily Mail reported that Senegal's doctor Abdourahmane Fédior claimed that Mane showed no signs of concussion after he was examined.
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Fedior said, in a statement released by the Senegalese federation: "All the symptoms he had on the pitch are gone. His condition requires fairly close monitoring. Everything is normal on the X-ray."
Senegal will now hope Mane can help them reach the final of the Afcon where an epic showdown with fellow Reds team-mate and Eygpt ace Mo Salah potentially awaits.
Salah's Eygpt side face Morroco in Sunday's other quarter-final game after they disposed of Ivory Coast in a tense penalty shootout in the previous round.
And Salah's already made it clear that lifting the Afcon with the Pharaohs will mean more to him than any domestic trophy ever will.
Speaking at a press conference, Salah confessed: "It's my country, what I love the most. This trophy for me would be completely different, would be the closest one to my heart."
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