Salah vs Mane is AFCON’s biggest headline final
February 5, 2022
It is the biggest final of the Africa Cup of Nations in recent memory. The continent's two biggest football stars, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, are on opposite sides as they fight for the title of African champions. No encounter could have been bigger.
The duo have combined to win the biggest trophies in club football with Liverpool. They delivered the first Premier League title for the Reds in 30 years and won the UEFA Champions League. They have won three out of the last four African Footballer of the Year awards and command a global following.
It is this star power that they carry that makes the AFCON such an important global championship right now. African football talent is undeniable, the continent deserves respect.
Every tournament's final game deserves to be contested by its biggest stars. And that's exactly what the watching public are lucky enough to be getting in Yaoundé on Sunday. A game of stars for a continent that will stand still to witness their artistry.
Salah's tough road to the final
"Salah is the best player in the world,” Egyptian journalist Mamoud Maher tells DW. "Everyone knows his value in the team. He has shown how to be a leader and how to lead on the pitch. His attitude on the pitch has been positive. He is our best hope.”
Salah has led Egypt from losing their first game against Nigeria to reaching the final. Not many gave them a chance to go far after that opening defeat to the Super Eagles where they played second fiddle throughout. They dusted themselves off with Salah scoring in a 1-0 win against Guinea Bissau before edging Sudan by the same score and finishing second in the group.
In the round of 16, the Pharaohs met one of the tournament favourites Ivory Coast. They withstood the firepower of Ajax striker Sebastian Haller and Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe, it ended goalless and the penalties fell in their favor. Despite losing first choice goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy to an injury, his replacement Mohamed Abou Gabal stopped the penalty of Manchester United's Eric Bailly. And then Salah stepped up to score the winning penalty in a 5-4 victory.
Their quarterfinal game against Morocco was just as dramatic. Egypt fell behind to an early Sofiane Boufal penalty before Salah's equalizer sent them into extra time where he provided the assist for Mahmoud Trezeguet's winner.
Even though Salah was kept quiet in the semifinal against hosts Cameroon, his threat upfront was a constant danger to the Lions as the game ended goalless. Gabal was once again the hero as he stopped two penalties to lead the Pharaohs into the final to chase a record-extending eighth victory.
Salah has said he wants to win the title for his country after their final loss to Cameroon in 2017 in Libreville and their failure to win it at home in 2019, when they exited in the round of 16 against South Africa.
"A title with Egypt will mean a lot for him and a lot for our country,” Maher added.
Senegal's hopes rest on Mane
"It is important for Senegal to win the final because we've already lost two finals. We have a good generation of players playing around the world,” Senegalese journalist Drame Thierno tells DW.
The star of the team is undeniably Mane. His tournament got off to a good start as he scored in the 1-0 win against Zimbabwe. But the Teranga Lions then went scoreless in their next two games against Malawi and Guinea to finish top of the group.
If that looked like a shaky start, Senegal rose to the occasion in the knockout stages with a 2-0 win against Cape Verde as Mane scored the opener after having had a scary clash of heads with goalkeeper Vorzinha that threatened his participation in the next game. But he was passed fit afterwards and provided an assist in Senegal's 3-1 quarter final win against Equatorial Guinea.
He brought his influence once more on to the semifinal against Burkina Faso as he created a goal for Bamba Dieng before scoring the third in a 3-1 win that sent them to their third AFCON final. After the painful loss to Algeria in 2019, Mane will hope he can lead this side to finally win their first African title.
Senegal are the only country to have reached at least two finals without a title. Their golden generation of Elhadji Diouf and Papa Bouba Diop lost the 2002 final to Cameroon. Mane will hope he can lead the current crop one step further.
"Sadio Mane is one of the best in the world, he has won everything, and the AFCON trophy is what's left. All the people of Senegal are waiting for this trophy. This is the time for Senegal,” Drame said.