Senegal’s glory: 5 things we learned from the Africa Cup of Nations final

In the end, glory went to Senegal, who defeated Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout to win the African Cup of Nations for the first time on Sunday.

Here are five things Arab News learned from a final that ended 0-0 after two hours but was not short on narrative and drama.

1. It was fitting that Mane scored the winning goal

It can’t have been easy for Sadio Mane. If the Liverpool star had scored the early penalty, then Senegal would likely have won in normal time. And it can’t have been easy to shrug off such a miss for the almost two hours of football that followed.

Everyone knows that you don’t get many chances against Egypt, and that is what happened. Mane did not have his best game, but he still worked hard for the team. And at the end of the shootout, there he was walking up to take the final penalty with the hopes of a nation on his shoulders knowing that a goal would mean everything.

Faced with the same goalkeeper Gabaski, it could easily have been a repeat of the events of much earlier in the game, but the Liverpool star fired home the perfect penalty. His first one had been all power but fairly central. His second was still powerful but right in the bottom corner, and it was unstoppable. It took nerves of steel and was quite a story.

2. More frustration for Salah

There has been a lot said and written about the Liverpool star and his performances during the tournament. Millions of fans at home and more around the world were watching and waiting for Mohamed Salah to catch fire and show the form in Africa that made him one of the most feared attackers in the world. 

It didn’t happen, the Morocco game apart when he scored one and made the other. Egypt’s style is not one that creates many chances, and throughout