Two compatriots and now rivals, Mo Salah and Sadio Mané clashed in the AFCON semi-finals in Tangiers. It was expected to be a resounding game with both sides going at each other in full measure. However, what transpired eventually was a cagey affair that did not live up to it’s expectations.
Senegal were by far the better side, making several moves and coming close to scoring. But the finishing from the Teranga Lions was rather poor. Sadio Mané was superb from the left flank. He looked in great shape, had lots of purpose in his run and kept on troubling the Egyptian defence.
Mané combined extremely well with Nicolas Jackson and Iliman Ndiaye, and even though Kalidou Koulibaly was substituted early because of an injury scare, Senegal kept up the momentum. No wonder they had 65% possession and had a good 11 shots.
Egypt on the other hand, were just left defending all the time. There was hardly any momentum going forward for them. Mo Salah was tied up in knots and had virtually no impact on the game. Marmoush and Ashour, too, had nothing much to do. With just 1 shot on goal, Egypt were clearly the second-best team on the day.
The deadlock, however, was broken in the 78th minute, deservedly by a brilliant Sadio Mané right-footer from outside the box. With the siege continuing on the Egyptian goal, Mané seized an opportunity and struck with great venom. The ball sped off the turf, and before El Shenawy could react, the ball was in the net. It was a moment of magic from Mané. Clearly, the Senegalese had upstaged his celebrated counterpart Mo Salah, without a doubt.
Senegal held on to the lead, not before the rival camps almost came to blows. Mané was once again seen calming the nerves. His influence on the team was palpable.
As the whistle blew, Senegal rejoiced. They had made it to the finals of the AFCON and deservedly so.
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