AFCON FINAL: Senegal vs Egypt live
Preview
After four weeks of nerve-racking showdown between 24 African nations in the 33rd edition of the African Cup of Nations, AFCON 2021 comes to an end in grand style as Senegal and Egypt face off in the final. Today’s finale kicks off at 7:00 pm(GMT) at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé with South African referee Victor Gomes in charge as center referee. The finale sees Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane battle it out for continental glory.
After losing the last final of the AFCON 1-0 to Algeria in 2019, Senegal are back to win this year’s edition in their third attempt throughout AFCON history. The Teranga Lions came into this AFCON as one of the tournament favorites considering the experience and crop of players on their team. The Senegalese won their opening game 1-0 in the 97th minute, thanks to a Sadio Mane penalty. The West African nation failed to win their next two games, drawing 0-0 in both matches against Guinea and Malawi. Enough to finish top of their group, Senegal won their next three games en route to the final, winning 2-0 against Cape Verde and 3-1 against Equitorial Guinea and Burkina Faso respectively in the quarterfinals and semifinals. With just two goals conceded throughout the tournament, Aliou Cisse’s men have proven to be a stubborn team to break down and Egypt will have to be at their attacking best to win the trophy in today’s finale.
Seven time champions Egypt will look to add another trophy to their collection in the final today when they face Senegal. The Egyptians did not have a perfect start to their AFCON 2021 campaign when they lost 1-0 to Nigeria in their opening game. Carlos Quieroz’s men turned things around in their next two group stage games, winning 1-0 against Guinea-Bissau and Sudan respectively to clinch second spot in group D. The Pharaohs faced off against The Ivory Coast in their first match in the knockout stages, winning 5-4 on penalties after substitute goalkeeper Gabaski saved Eric Bailly’s spot kick.
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In the quarterfinals Egypt faced fellow North Africans, Morocco, conceding a penalty in the 7th minute to give Morocco the lead. The Egyptians were able to turn things around in the second half as talisman Mo Salah equalized in the 53rd minute. A strike from Trezeguet in the first half of extra time rewarded Egypt a 2-1 win to secure a place in the semis. After 120 minutes of football against tournament hosts Cameroon in the semifinals, second choice goalkeeper Gabaski made two saves in the shootout to reward Egypt the win. With the Egyptians struggling for goals throughout the tournament, their defensive form has been impressive, conceding just twice and keeping four clean sheets. With talisman Mo Salah; arguably the most in-form player in world football on their side, the Egyptians are expected to attack with greater threat.
Head-to-head
The last five competitive meetings between Senegal and Egypt has seen three wins for the Teranga Lions and two wins for The Pharaohs. Their last meeting was in the qualification round for AFCON 2015, a game Senegal won 1-0 in Cairo thanks to a strike from Mame Diouf.
Prediction
Defensively both teams have proven to be solid throughout the tournament with four clean sheets each. Considering what’s at stake in today’s game both teams are expected to play with caution, especially in defense. Both teams are evenly matched on paper with quality players on both sides. However, a win for Senegal might be a more likely outcome considering the fact that most players from the 2019 final are still on their team.
Lineup
Senegal possible starting lineup: E Mendy; Sarr, Koulibaly, A Diallo, Ciss; Kouyate, N Mendy, I Gueye; Mane, Dieng, Dia
Egypt possible starting lineup: Sobhy; Kamal, Trezeguet, Hamdi, Fatouh; Ashraf, El-Sulya, Elneny; Mohamed, Marmoush, Salah
