PORT SAID, Egypt, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Senegal striker Henri

Camara inspired his side to a 2-0 win over Zimbabwe in their

opening African Nations Cup Group D match on Monday.

Camara made the breakthrough with a well-taken goal on the

hour and then set up the second for substitute Issa Ba to seal

the points with his first touch of the ball in the 81st minute.

Senegal made life tough for themselves by missing two open

goals in the first half while Zimbabwe's Benjani Mwaruwari

squandered a golden chance to score when Senegal were 1-0 ahead.

The win was a timely boost for the Lions of Teranga, who

surprisingly missed out on a place at the 2006 World Cup finals

as Togo qualified at their expense. Earlier, Nigeria beat Ghana

1-0 in the same group.

Senegal should have gone ahead after five minutes when

Camara chipped the ball over goalkeeper Gift Muzadzi to El Hadji

Diouf, who contrived to miss from two metres.

Somehow, they produced a similar miss in the 28th minute.

This time Diomansy Kamara sprang the offside trap and broke

down the right to reach the byline. After dallying over his

cross, he finally chipped the ball to the far post where the

unmarked Rahmane Barry knocked the ball wide.

Minutes later, they wasted another chance when both Camara

and Barry delayed over shots in the same attack, allowing the

Zimbabwe defenders to block their efforts.

Senegal were also unlucky to be denied a goal in the 32nd

minute when Henri Camara burst through the middle of the

Zimbabwe defence and shot into the corner, only to see his

effort disallowed for handball.

Senegal finally broke the deadlock on the hour when Habib

Baye broke down the left and slipped a perfectly time pass to

Camara, who beat the offside trap, rounded Muzadzi and slotted

the ball into an empty goal.

The goal came one minute after a timely interception by

Ferdinand Coly at the other end foiled Shingarai Kawondera as he

was about to shoot from a dangerous position in the area.

Zimbabwe kept going and Kawondera produced an excellent

cross after breaking down the left but Mwaruwari failed to make

contact.

Then it was Zimbabwe's turn to miss a sitter.

Mwaruwari wins ball off a defender in the area and but, with

only goalkeeper Tony Sylva to beat from six metres, dallied over

his shot and fired over the bar.

They paid the price in the 81st minute when Issa Ba added

Senegal's second less then one minute after coming on, scoring

from close range after Camara had cut the ball back from the

byline.