The Senegalese ace was on target for Liverpool during a first-leg Champions League quarter-final victory over Benfica.
Sadio Mane has matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 13 Champions League goals in the knockout stages since the 2017/18 season.
In doing so, Mane surpassed the tally of 12 goals from Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi. He achieved the feat by scoring Liverpool’s second goal in a 3-1 win against Benfica.
The victory handed Liverpool a crucial advantage for next Wednesday’s second leg in the Champions League quarter-final tie.
Knockout stage goals since Sadio Mane debuted in the Champions League in 2017/18 ⚽️
Sadio Mane – 13
Cristiano Ronaldo – 13
Lionel Messi – 12
Robert Lewandowski – 12
Mohamed Salah – 11 pic.twitter.com/SzUXj06Wyp
— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) April 5, 2022
Mane plays down his goal
Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz were also on target to ensure a crucial win for the Reds, despite Darwin Nunez pulling a goal back for Benfica early in the second half in Portugal.
“Like I always say, the team is winning – that’s more important [than me scoring],” Mane said on the club’s website.
“I scored a goal today; I’m happy but more important were the goals we scored. We’re waiting for the next game and to get the job done at home,” Mane told reporters as quoted by the Liverpool website.
“A great start [to the week]. We can’t expect better than that and it will help us to prepare for the next game.”
Next up for Mane and Liverpool is a trip to the Etihad for a showdown with Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday. At the time of writing, Bet365 has priced a Reds win at 3.50. This suggests they have a 29% of all three points in Manchester.
