Sadio Mané takes the winning penalty as Senegal claim AFCON crown

Senegal 0 Egypt 0 – Senegal win 4-2 on penalties

The longer the game went on, the less likely it seemed that Senegal could triumph. Egypt are the masters of game-management, the kings of the shootout and Senegal, entangled in their own neuroses about having never won the tournament, seemed never quite to regain their belief after Sadio Mané missed an early penalty. But somehow, despite all the spoiling of Egypt and almost despite themselves, it was Senegal who lifted the Cup of Nations.

This was a terrible final to end what has been a largely terrible tournament, won ultimately as Mané converted in the shootout after Édouard Mendy had saved from Mohana Lasheen.

There are rarely goals in Cup of Nations finals: just 10 in the last 10, four of which have gone the distance to penalties after 0-0 draws. And there are rarely goals in games involving Senegal or Egypt. Senegal had negotiated their way to this stage scoring nine goals and conceding just two; of those 11 goals, only one had come in the first half. Egypt had scored four and conceded two in six games and only three of those had come in the first half.

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So it was a major surprise when Saliou Ciss, Senegal's marauding left-back, was scythed down in the area after three minutes, and perhaps less of a surprise when Mané's penalty was well saved by Abou Gabal. Mohamed Salah had spoken to the Zamalek goalkeeper before his Liverpool teammate took it; Mané reacted by pointing where he was going to aim, before smashing his kick central.

He had only recently returned to penalty duty after missing the vital kick against Cameroon in the 2017 quarter-final and then against Kenya and Uganda in 2019. Although he did score against Zimbabwe in the group stage, maybe celebrity shouldn't determine who takes the spot-kicks.

Abou Gabal is only a second-choice goalkeeper for Egypt, behind Mohamed El Shenawy, but, if you can leave aside his gamesmanship (and that is a big if, given his shameful playacting), he has had a superb tournament, saving five penalties, including shootouts. He also made a brave second-half block at the feet of Idrissa Gueye.

Senegal, as Cameroon had in the semi-final, occasionally threatened to get in behind the Egyptian full-backs, but when they did, the crossing and the decision-making was too often poor. And like Cameroon, they soon found themselves frustrated by Egypt’s spoiling, the feigning of injury, the long debates after every decision.

Egypt complained after the semi-final that all three of their knockout games had gone to extra-time, but in truth the ball is in play so little in their games that that is probably little different to an average side playing three games that are over in normal time. This is anti-football in its truest sense: it is not that they defend, it is that they actively try to prevent any football being played. Even with their coach, Carlos Queiroz, and his assistant, Roger De Sá, banned, the sustained moaning from the technical area continued.

There was a second surge at the beginning of the second half but soon it too petered out. Senegal had played its best football in the final half hour of the quarter-final and semi-final, after Ismaila Sarr was introduced from the bench. Here, he was deemed fit enough to start and not only was he far less effective, but Senegal lost that potency in the final quarter of normal time.

Senegal had the backing of swathes of noisy and passionate fans – and that was just in the press box, which was dominated by journalists in their blue Presse Senegal polo-shirts. But in the stands, too, Senegal fans predominated.

There is a large Senegalese community in Cameroon, and there had been crowds around the Senegalese embassy in Yaoundé earlier in the day looking for tickets. Three planeloads of Egyptians, meanwhile, had flown in, ensuring at least something of an atmosphere.

The attendance, though, was only around 35,000 – an indication of one of the major problems the tournament has had. The Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and the Africa Championship of Nations (for domestic-based players) have shown what an appetite there is for football in Cameroon, and the tournament was followed avidly on television and on radio – which certainly hasn’t always been the case at recent Cups of Nations.

But Covid protocols dissuaded fans early in the tournament and, when they were relaxed, there was the tragedy at Olembé 13 days before the final as a crush caused the death of eight people. Concerns about a repeat, and the possibility of heavy-handed policing in reaction, led many to stay away for both the semi-final and the final.

– Guardian