Senegal booked their spot in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-0 win over Benin, but will be without captain Kalidou Koulibaly after he was shown a straight red card.

Abdoulaye Seck and Habib Diallo scored either side of half-time before Cherif Ndiaye netted a late penalty to secure top spot in Group D for Senegal, while Koulibaly was dismissed for a poor challenge on Aiyegun Tosin in the 71st minute.

It was a sluggish start from both sides, with Senegal knowing a draw would be enough to clinch a knockout spot, but they managed to take the lead shortly before the break as Seck rose highest to head Krepin Diatta's free-kick into the far corner.

Senegal continued to be a threat from set pieces, with Seck going close again, though their second did come from open play as Diallo fired into the roof of the net from Sadio Mane's cutback.

Benin were then handed a lifeline when Koulibaly was sent off following a lengthy VAR check, and Benin almost halved the deficit from the resulting free-kick, only for Edouard Mendy to tip Junior Olaitan's effort over the bar.

Despite going down to 10 men, Senegal restricted Benin to just two more shots in the match before a counter-attack led to Ibrahim Mbaye winning a penalty, which was dispatched by Ndiaye.

D.R. Congo also reached the round of 16 with a 3-0 win over Botswana. Former Chelsea midfielder Gael Kakuta scored twice after Nathanael Mbuku broke the deadlock.

Data Debrief: Costly mistake from Koulibaly?

It was a well-deserved win for Senegal, who produced 1.84 expected goals (xG) from 10 shots to Benin's 0.61 from six attempts, but their thoughts now will very much be on how they can cope without their captain.

Koulibaly won eight of his 11 duels, including three of his four aerial battles, while he also recorded the third-most touches for his side (65) and second-most passes (47) despite not playing the final 20 minutes.

But there was still plenty to be happy about for Pape Thiaw's team, who are undefeated in their last 14 games in the AFCON, their longest unbeaten streak in the competition (since at least 2009-2010).