AFCON PREVIEW: Senegal hungry for first title as Egypt seek to extend continental record

For Africans, sports — and football in particular — represent a sort of common ground. It is a leveller that does not consider social standing or status. During the 90 minutes of a football match, everyone becomes the same: a supporter. This is what to expect on Sunday evening as the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) comes down to the last two teams in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Having weathered storms and surmounted encumbrances to get to this point, Senegal and Egypt are set to face off to decide who wears the African crown — and enjoys bragging rights — for the next couple of years.

To several pundits, Senegal seem like the favourites, given the country’s golden generation of players like Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Idrissa Gueye and Ismaila Sarr. They are expected to make an impact at the international level — and winning their first AFCON title is the start.

But expectations don’t always graduate into reality and their journey to this point hasn’t been smooth sailing.

THE LIONS’ JOURNEY TO THE FINAL

The Teranga Lions had to pick a hard-earned 1-0 victory over a determined Zimbabwe side in their opening game on January 10, with Mane opening his account with a last-gasp penalty.

Despite failing to win their final two group games, where they were held to consecutive goalless draws by Guinea and Malawi, Aliou Cisse’s men finished atop Group B and secured a place in the knockout stages.

After their somewhat unconvincing group stage run, Senegal found their magic touch in the round of 16 as they put two past Cape Verde on January 25, courtesy of second-half goals from Mane and Ahmadou Bamba Dieng.

Cisse’s side continued their sensational run in the quarter-finals where they claimed a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium to set up a last-four clash with Burkina Faso on January 2.

With confidence and belief high in the Senegalese camp, Abdou Diallo and Dieng scored in a six-minute spell as they placed one foot firmly in the final, and after Ibrahim Blati Toure pulled one back in the 82nd minute, Mane stepped up to restore his side’s two-goal advantage.

HOW DO THE PHARAOHS STAND?

The Pharaohs were unexpectedly humbled in their opening game on January 11, when they suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, courtesy of Kelechi Iheanacho’s 30th-minute strike.

Egypt got their campaign up and running four days later, when they secured a hard-earned 1-0 victory over a dogged Guinea-Bissau side before wrapping things up in the group stage with another 1-0 win over Sudan on January 19.

Finishing as runners-up in Group D with six points from the nine available, the North Africans progressed to the last 16 where they saw off tournament favourites Ivory Coast on penalties, following a goalless 120 minutes.

Egypt delivered a performance of the highest quality in the quarter-finals when they locked horns with regional rivals Morocco on January 30, as Salah scored in the 53rd minute to cancel out Sofiane Boufal’s seventh-minute penalty and force extra time, during which Trezeguet came up with a 100th-minute winner.

The Pharaohs then stunned tournament hosts Cameroon when they claimed a 3-1 victory on penalties to secure a place in the final following a goalless 120 minutes at the Paul Biya Stadium.

Going into the final, the Egyptians are chasing a record-extending eighth African crown and Carlos Queiroz has the likes of Mohamed Salah, Trezeguet, Mohamed Abdelmoneim, and Mohamed Elneny in his arsenal.

WHO’S YOUR MONEY ON?

On paper, Senegal has the stronger squad, hence Egypt will go into the game with a few betting on them, but surely, finals are a different kettle of fish, where desire sometimes trumps talent and preparation.

For the people of Senegal and Egypt, it will definitely be a tense day and a nerve-wracking 90 minutes.

But for the neutrals, it is much more than that. It is an entertainment buffet and an escape. One that breaks away from social, economical and political barriers — an hour and a half of equality, something many Africans have never felt.

At the final whistle, a winner will be crowned — but will it be the best team or that which desires it more?