Regular time, and then thirty minutes of extra time, could not separate Senegal and Egypt in the AFCON final on February 6, but Les Lions prevailed in the penalty shootout.
Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse’s reaction said it all. A former Senegal international himself, the tactician collapsed by the touchline in tears, having led his country to their first Africa Cup of Nations title. Seen as the perennial underachievers within their continent, Senegal – the highest-ranked of all African nations according to FIFA – needed penalties to overcome Mohamed Salah’s Egypt after the regular period ended without either side finding the back of the net.
A fourth-minute foul by Mohamed Abdelmonem on Saliou Ciss resulted in a Senegal penalty. Sadio Mane stepped up to take the kick, struck it with fury, and could not believe his luck when Mohamed Abou Gabal, Gabaski, parried it away to safety – provoking wild cheers from the crowd.
Soon after, Mohamed Salah embarked on one of his trademark runs, collecting the ball out wide before cutting inside on his stronger left foot, but his near-post shot was tipped behind by Eduoard Mendy.
The cagey encounter continued in the second half, with neither side creating many clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. The best chance of the period fell to Senegal’s Famara Diedhiou in the 53rd minute, but the forward failed to connect with a cross from the right before being smothered by the Egyptian defence.
Ninety minutes of normal time, and thirty minutes of extra time that followed, could not separate the two sides; a penalty shootout ensued. Kalidou Koulibaly and Ahmed Sayed converted the first kicks for their respective sides, but Abdelmonem missed the subsequent one for Egypt, giving Senegal the advantage.
Gabaski saved the very next kick from Bouna Sarr while Marwan Hamdi scored to bring the scores level again in the shootout. But, it wasn’t to be the Pharaohs’ night. Mendy denied Mohanad Lasheen, while Bamba Dieng and Mane found the net – 4-2 the shootout ended in Senegal’s favor.
Having led his country to their maiden AFCON title, Mane was crowned the Player of the Tournament. Meanwhile, Mendy’s sensational year continued – the Best FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year was also named the best in his category at AFCON thanks to his penalty shootout heroics in the Final. Host nation Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar took home the Golden Boot, owing to an impressive tally of eight goals in six games.
