It was exciting, but the spectators in Tangier did not get to see a spectacle. Egypt, opponent of the Red Devils in the World Cup, had already shown itself to be an excellent counter team in the previous round against Ivory Coast. So now too, The Pharaohs retreated en masse, with a five-man defense, in the hope of being able to counter. However, that failed completely.
Senegal had the ball – seventy percent (!) of the time – but was unable to demolish the wall. The result was quite a match. The first half produced no chances, the second hardly either. Substitute Camara once shot straight at the goalkeeper, but beyond that? No, it wasn’t until 78ste minute before a ball was effectively kicked. It was no coincidence that it was Senegal’s star who forced it, Sadio Mané. From outside the box he kicked a falling ball beyond goalkeeper El Shenawy. In the build-up, Nicolas Jackson seemed to be offside, but the VAR did not whistle the goal back: 1-0.
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Egypt proved too powerless to hit back – the only shot on target came in the final minute – and will have to play for third place. That is especially painful for 33-year-old Mo Salah, because now that the African Cup will only be held every four years, this may have been his last chance for eternal fame in his own country. Because no matter how legendary his status will remain, he was never able to win an African Cup with Egypt, despite being the most successful country in Africa.
The fact that it was his ex-teammate at Liverpool again made it even more sad. The Pharaohs were still in the final in 2021, but were beaten by… Senegal. Mané then scored the decisive penalty. A month later, Senegal also proved too strong in the World Cup jump-offs, again after a penalty shootout. Mane scored, Salah missed.
Senegal will be without captain Kalidou Coulibaly in the final, against Morocco or Nigeria. The ex-Genk defender has been yellow suspended and also had to be left injured.