The Lions of Teranga had to wait until the sixth minute of added time to break down the hosts in Lilongwe, the Malawian capital, despite enjoying 75 per cent possession. Sadio Mane’s last-gasp free-kick was Senegal’s 27th shot of the match.

It was Mane who had come closest to scoring at the Bingu National Stadium, missing good chances in both halves, while Jackson threatened on a couple of occasions with no luck. He was taken off with 20 minutes left, not long after being shown a yellow card.

The result gives Senegal an unassailable seven-point gap over third-placed Burundi in Group L of AFCON qualifying. They still have two more qualifiers next month, including a trip to leaders Burkina Faso, who also have ten points but a superior goal difference. The tournament starts in Morocco in December 2025, when Senegal will be aiming to reclaim the crown they won in Cameroon two years ago.

At youth level, Shumaira Mheuka scored for England Under-19s once more as they rounded off their preparatory matches for next month’s European Championship qualifiers with a 4-2 win against France.

Mheuka, who netted in a big victory against the Netherlands on Saturday, was the sole Chelsea starter in Marbella this morning. He put the Young Lions 3-2 up at the end of an entertaining first half, in which France had fought back from two goals down, calmly side-footing home a pass from Fulham’s Josh King.

Harrison Murray-Campbell entered the fray at half-time, and Kiano Dyer, Tyrique George and Reiss Denny all came on around the hour mark, before Lennon Wheldon extended England’s lead. It finished 4-2 in Marbella, with England’s attention at that age level now turning to November’s qualifiers.

Blues Academy teammate Leo Cardoso was also an unused substitute as Portugal Under-19s made it three wins from win out in Marbella with a 4-2 victory over the Netherlands.