Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday evening following a dramatic penalty shootout victory against Egypt in Yaounde, Cameroon.
The game remained goalless after 120 minutes of play before Sadio Mane scored the winning spot kick, with Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah not taking a penalty.
The result means Senegal are AFCON champions for the first time in their history. Egypt, meanwhile, remain on seven AFCON titles – a competition record.
Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar finished as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals, leading his nation to a third-place finish.
The biggest sup-plot of the AFCON final was the contest between Liverpool icons Salah and Mane.
Both players are at the peak of their powers, have won countless honours and are adored by Liverpool fans across the globe.
Neither, though, had won an international honour before Sunday evening.
Salah was part of the Egypt team that suffered an agonising late defeat to Cameroon in Gabon five years ago, while Mane and Senegal lost the 2019 final to Algeria.
Salah can’t afford to be envious of Mane for long, however, as both players are expected to feature in Liverpool’s Premier League game against Leicester on Thursday.
The 2002 final defeat was particularly tough for Senegal to accept. They lost via a penalty shootout, with Aliou Cisse – their current manager – missing the final penalty.
It is perhaps fitting, then, that he was the man to lead Senegal to their maiden triumph.
Cisse has come under significant criticism since he was appointed manager in March 2015, yet his status as a legend of Senegalese football is now confirmed.
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