For the second time in three months, Senegal beat Egypt on penalties in a one-legged final – this time, booking their place at Qatar 2022 at the expense of their opponents.
AFCON 2021 finalists carried a 1-0 lead to the second leg of their CAF playoff final for one of the berths at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mohamed Salah and company had come away with a win, courtesy of a fourth-minute own goal in the first leg from Saliou Ciss. Remarkably, in the fourth minute of the second leg, Egypt’s Hamdi Fathi put the ball in his net, leveling the tie on aggregate – the midfielder, incredibly unfortunate to turn Boualye Dia’s shot past his own goalkeeper.
Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr missed two gilt-edged chances to put his team ahead on aggregate during regular and then extra time. As a result, for the second time in three months, the match between the two sides was to be decided with a penalty shootout, and as had happened in early February, Senegal came out on top, booking their place in this year’s World Cup at the expense of their opponents.
Elsewhere, Morocco joined Senegal in the World Cup by beating DR Congo 4-1 in the second leg of their playoff final. Azzedine Ounahi scored a brace while Tarik Tissadouli and Achraf Hakimi added a goal each, as Morocco came away with a 5-2 aggregate win.
Cameroon progressed to the finals following a remarkable end to their game against Algeria. Les Lions looked to be on their way out after Ahmed Touba put them 2-1 ahead on aggregate in the 118th minute, only for Karl Toko-Ekambi to turn the tie on its head with a 124th-minute goal; Cameroon, as a result, progressed to the finals, beating Algeria on away goals.
Rounding up the CAF numbers were Tunisia and Ghana. The former defended a 1-0 lead at home against Mali while the latter beat rivals Nigeria on away goals after their tie had finished 1-1 after 90 minutes – Arsenal’s Thomas Partey with the crucial away goal.
