Senegal vs Egypt LIVE: Afcon final penalty shootout result and reaction as Sadio Mane scores winner
Follow live reaction from the Africa Cup of Nations final where Senegal defeated Egypt in Cameroon
Follow live reaction from the Africa Cup of Nations final after Senegal beat Egypt to win what has been a thrilling tournament in Cameroon. After four weeks of competition, the final saw the continent’s two best players in Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah compete for a first international honour, with both star forwards having played integral roles in their respective nation’s run to the final.
An intense contest went all the way to penalties where Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy kept out substitute Mohanad Lasheen’s attempt, leaving Liverpool’s Mane, who had earlier missed a spot kick in normal time, to step up and win it. And the Reds striker made no mistake from 12 yards a second time around to secure a 4-2 victory and give his country a first-ever victory in the tournament.
It was no more than Senegal deserved after dominating for long periods only to be denied repeatedly denied by Egypt goalkeeper Gabaski as the game finished goalless after 120 gruelling minutes. Mane’s winning kick sparked jubilant scenes for Senegal and deep disappointment for Egypt.
AFCON 2022: Senegal vs Egypt
Senegal have won 11 Africa Cup of Nations matches across the last three tournaments (since 2017), more victories than any other team, while they’ve also kept the most clean sheets (12) in this time.
AFCON 2022: Senegal vs Egypt
Egypt have progressed via extra time (and/or penalties) in their last three matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, only one team have played in four consecutive knock-out matches, with all going to extra time in the competition’s history – Tunisia between 2006 and 2015 (lost all four in quarter-finals, three in extra time and one on penalties).
AFCON 2022: Senegal vs Egypt
Senegal are looking to win their first Africa Cup of Nations title, in their 16th appearance in the competition – no team have played in more AFCON tournaments without ever lifting the trophy.
AFCON 2022: Senegal vs Egypt
Senegal are playing in their third Africa Cup of Nations final (runners-up in 2002 and 2019), while the Lions of Teranga are the first side to play in consecutive finals in the competition since opponents Egypt in 2010.
AFCON 2022: Senegal vs Egypt
Egypt will play in their ninth final (excluding final groups) at the Africa Cup of Nations, losing their most recent one in 2017 (2-1 against Cameroon).
Including the 2021 final, no team have played in the tournament showpiece on more occasions than the Pharaohs (Ghana level on nine).
AFCON 2022: Senegal vs Egypt
In their four previous meetings at the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt and Senegal have won two games each, with three of the four matches finishing 1-0 (Egypt’s win in 2000 and Senegal’s in 1986 and 2002).
AFCON 2022: Senegal vs Egypt
This will be the fifth encounter between Egypt and Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations and the first such meeting since 2006, with Egypt winning 2-1 in the semi-final on their way to lifting the trophy that year.
AFCON 2022: Jurgen Klopp on watching Mane and Salah
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked whether he will be watching tonight’s Afcon final and what it will be like to see his two star players, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, play against each other. He said:
It will be exciting. Now it’s obviously not so easy because we have to watch the game and one will be definitely really happy after it, and the other one much less so. But both have a good chance to achieve something really big.
“It’s difficult obviously to get that far in a tournament, the pressure – they are the superstars so the pressure they had on their shoulders was massive.
“And how they dealt with it, I’m really proud of them, to be honest, and now two of them are in the final and yeah, we will watch it definitely.”
AFCON 2022: Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah compared ahead of Africa Cup of Nations final
Liverpool duo Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will go head-to-head in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final.
They have an incredible record playing together for the Reds but will be on opposite sides as Senegal take on Egypt in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde.
Here, we take a look at how the two strikers compare:
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah compared ahead of Africa Cup of Nations final
The Liverpool duo will be on opposite sides as Senegal take on Egypt in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde
AFCON 2022: Sadio Mane believes Senegal’s experience will give them the edge against Egypt
Sadio Mane feels Senegal’s experience will give them the edge against Egypt as he goes head to head with Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Mane will lead favourites Senegal in Sunday’s showpiece against the Pharaohs, for whom Salah has starred in the Cameroon-staged tournament.
Senegal have never won the tournament but return to the final for the second successive time having lost to Algeria in 2019.
Sadio Mane believes Senegal’s experience will give them the edge against Egypt
The Indomitable Lions reached the final in 2019 but have never won the Africa Cup of Nations
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