February 06, (THEWILL) – Senegal’s historic inaugural Africa Cup of Nations victory was sealed by Sadio Mane, who slotted in the key penalty kick to overcome Egypt 4-2 on penalties in a gruelling shootout as the tournament drew to a close in Cameroon’s Olembe Stadium.
The good fortune appeared to favour Senegal from the start as the Lions of Teranga were awarded a penalty with only four minutes on the clock, giving Egypt the worst conceivable start.
Mohamed Abdelmonhem brought down full-back Saliou Ciss in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Sadio Mane took the penalty to put his country ahead, but it was saved by sensational Mohamed Abou Gabal, who dived to his right to keep it out.
Despite dominating the most of the game and having the better chances, Senegal were unable to capitalise as Egypt came into the game late on.
However, neither team was able to break the tie in regulation time. Both teams were also near to a winner at the end of extra time, but neither side could find the telling goal.
A heated shootout saw three misses, two of which came from Egypt after Edouard Mendy had kept out Mohanad Lasheen’s tepid effort from going in.
Mane was then given the opportunity to not only make up for his initial miss but, more importantly, to make history for his country. The Liverpool man did not disappoint, slamming the ball into the bottom-left corner to break Egyptian hearts and send the travelling Senegal fans into delirium.
Mane then went over to console his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, who was emotion-laden given how close they came, through a series of extra-time victories, and still failed to clinch the top prize in African football.
For the winners, it was finally their Cup to celebrate. It is Senegal’s first ever AFCON and they win it in their 16th participation in the continental competition, becoming the 15th different African national team to win the tournament.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
