Senegal had lost two finals previously, including against Algeria at the last African Cup in Egypt in 2019

Sadio Mané delivered a first African Cup of Nations title for Senegal on Sunday by drilling the decisive penalty in a shootout into the bottom left corner to beat Egypt and his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah.

Mané kept his nerve despite having missed a penalty in the seventh minute of the game — with Salah giving his goalkeeper some advice before that first penalty — and Senegal won the shootout 4-2 after the final ended 0-0 after extra time.

 

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Senegal’s Sadio Mane, top left, and teammates celebrate after scoring the winning penalty at the end of the African Cup of Nations 2022 final soccer match between Senegal and Egypt at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Egypt missed twice in the shootout, meaning Salah, who was meant to be his team’s last penalty taker, could do nothing but watch his club teammate win it.

Senegal had lost two finals previously, including against Algeria at the last African Cup in Egypt in 2019, when Mané was left inconsolable.

This time he delivered the winning moment. He raced off to joyously celebrate with teammates but also returned to spend a moment consoling Salah, who was in tears.

The final at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, was billed as a battle between Liverpool stars Mané and Salah, who were both searching for their first major title with their country.

Source: Mané beats Salah as Senegal wins its 1st African Cup