Sadio Mane netted the winning spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt 4-2 on penalties to clinch their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations after a 0-0 draw.
The Liverpool forward had seen a seventh-minute penalty saved by Egypt keeper Gabaski but Mane held his nerve when he returned in the shootout.
Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy denied Mohanad Lasheen to give Mane the chance to win it in Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium.
Gabaski had made three good saves from Senegal’s Bamba Dieng in extra time.
Senegal reached a second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final on Wednesday after goals from Abdou Diallo, Idrissa Gueye and Sadio Mane secured a 3-1 win over Burkina Faso.
Aliou Cisse’s side were denied a first AFCON title by Algeria back in 2019, but they will now have another chance against either Cameroon or Egypt on Sunday.
Senegal thought they had been awarded a penalty kick deep into first-half stoppage time, but the VAR came to Burkina Faso’s rescue.
Referee Tessema Weyesa overturned his initial decision after replays showed Gueye’s shot had hit Edmond Tapsoba’s stomach and not his hand.
The Lions of Teranga deservedly broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, however.
That was when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender Diallo spun in the goal area to fire a crisp strike past substitute goalkeeper Sofiane Ouedraogo.
And Senegal doubled their advantage six minutes later when Gueye slotted home from inside the penalty area after being teed up by Mane.
Ibrahim Toure pulled one back for Burkina Faso with an improvised finish with his knee in the 82nd minute.
Mane put the game to bed five minutes later with a sublime breakaway goal.
Senegal on Sunday rode over Equatorial Guinea into the semi final at the AFCON round leather game tournament beating the West African country 3-1.
The star studded Senegal were considered favourites in this year’s edition and also for this game. Their group stage journey was pretty much mediocre compared to the expectations of fans across Africa especially as their lack of goalscoring turned into an issue for many.
The game was aggressive from the start as both teams were compact and avoided any costly mistakes. Senegal were more on the front foot compared to their opponents and they were rewarded in the 28th minute when Famara Diedhiou finished brilliantly into the bottom corner after receiving a pass from Sadio Mane.
The game was aggressive from the start as both teams were compact and avoided any costly mistakes. Senegal were more on the front foot compared to their opponents and they were rewarded in the 28th minute when Famara Diedhiou finished brilliantly into the bottom corner after receiving a pass from Sadio Mane.
The teams went into the break with Senegal 1-0 up. Equatorial Guinea did not lie down and they were much ambitious in the second half, piling the pressure on Senegal. A controversial moment in the 51st minute saw Senegal escape a penalty decision, as VAR overturned a spot kick that was initially awarded to Equatorial Guinea by the referee.
That decision did not hinder their intentions, as Equatorial Guinea equalised through Jannick Buyla just 6 minutes after the penalty incident. Cheikhou Kouyate needed only three minutes after his introduction to repay his manager’s faith in him as he scored a header to make it 2-1. Ismaila Sarr got the final nail on the coffin putting his team 3-1 ahead.
Watford have confirmed Ismaila Sarr has joined up with Senegal squad in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Sarr will join the team ahead of quarter-final tie against Equatorial Guinea.
Sarr has been out of action since suffering a knee injury in a Premier League fixture on November 20.
The 23-year-old’s fitness ahead of the tournament in Cameroon had been the subject of a club-versus-country row.
After discussions, it was mutually agreed that Sarr would travel to Barcelona for treatment.
After making good progress, the player has linked up with his country this week.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport, also known as CAS, has decided to suspend the decision of FIFA concerning Pape Gueye.
The OM midfielder was subject to investigation after agreeing personal terms with Watford over a move, before pulling the plug on the deal and eventually joining Marseille in the summer of 2020.
The world football governing body, FIFA, decided to ban the player whilst they investigated the strange scenario regarding his transfer. This meant that he would be ineligible for the current Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Since then, CAS have got involved and overruled the decision, meaning that Gueye is now eligible to compete for Senegal at AFCON.
FIFA have reportedly suspended Marseille midfielder Pape Gueye as part of their investigation into his move to the Ligue 1 club from Watford in 2020.
The suspension means that Gueye, who is currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, cannot take part in any competition until further notice.
The 22-year-old came off the bench for Senegal’s 1-0 win over Zimbabwe on Monday but was not in the squad for their 0-0 draw against Guinea on Friday.
‘There were problems between Watford and Marseille on a transfer [and] FIFA has suspended him,’ Senegal manager Aliou Cisse said.
Gueye joined the Hornets in the summer of 2020 on a free transfer from the French side Le Havre, but was sold to Marseille just 17 hours later.
Despite his incredibly short stint as Watford player, the Premier League club were able to claim compensation as the Senegal international had signed a pre-contract with them in January 2020.
Gueye reportedly signed a £45,000-a-week deal with Watford in the summer of the same year and was registered as a player on 1 July 2020. However, according to the Mirror, the player subsequently claimed he had been badly advised.
Less than a day after he was officially presented as a Watford player, Gueye revealed he had agreed to join Marseille.
‘Very happy and proud to announce my signature at L’Olympic de Marseille for the next four years,’ he wrote on Instagram as caption for a picture of him wearing the Ligue 1 giants’ training top.
Senegal will be without goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and defender Kalidou Koulibaly for their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations after both players tested positive for coronavirus.
The Teranga Lions, runners-up at the 2019 edition of the tournament, face Zimbabwe in their opening Group B game on Monday.
Chelsea keeper Mendy, centre-back Koulibaly and striker Famara Diedhiou have all gone into isolation.
Coach Aliou Cisse said: “It’s a difficult and complicated situation.”
Cisse looks set to have just 17 players available for the match in Bafoussam because of several Covid-19 cases and injuries.
But he added: “We are going to be competitive and those there are going to play for those who are absent. We are still going into the game against Zimbabwe full of confidence.”
Senegal has launched its first ever ultra modern commuter train since it had independence in 1960, making the first journey from capital Dakar on Tuesday.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the $1.3 billion commuter train connects Dakar with Diamniadio, an industrial city being built entirely from scratch on a dusty plain about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away.
Launched by the country’s President, Macky Sall to modernise transport, the project aims to limit massive traffic jams in the West African metropolis. The 45-minute ride with built-in Wi-Fi will cost nearly $3.
The first new railway since independence from France in 1960 is a cornerstone of Sall’s Senegal emergent plan, which includes a new airport, roads, sports arenas and a sleek conference centre.
About 115,000 passengers are expected to commute daily on the train between Dakar and Diamniadio, the government said, adding that further extensions will connect the main airport and eventually other cities and towns in the coming years.
“Senegalese people deserve to travel in comfort and safety, while controlling their time, with a mass transport system that meets the best international standards,” the government said in a statement on Monday.
Senegal’s coach Aliou Cisse has named a squad he hopes will finally bring him an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title which has eluded him for over two decades.
The 45-year-old tasted defeat in a final first as captain in 2002 where he missed a penalty kick in the shootout defeat to Cameroon, and then as coach in 2019.
“I want this AFCON. I have been running after it since 1999,” he said at the press conference after unveiling the squad.
For his third finals as coach, he has selected a group which includes 17 who have yet to play in the biennial African football showpiece.
“It is not the novelty (of the finals) that will make the difference, but they can bring a freshness of approach to the squad,” he said.
However, there is experience too in the shape of Liverpool star Sadio Mane, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Idrissa Gueye, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Senegal will begin their preparations with a camp in Rwanda on Thursday.
“We chose Rwanda because they have the same characteristics as Bafoussam with the height,” said Cisse.
Senegal are in Group B and open their campaign against Zimbabwe on Jan. 10.
This is before further games against Guinea (Jan. 14) and Malawi (Jan. 18) for the tournament that kicks off on Jan. 9 and runs till Feb. 6.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea, England), Alfred Gomis (Rennes, France), Sény Dieng (Queens Park Rangers, England)
Defenders: Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich, Germany), Saliou Ciss (Nancy, France), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, Italy), Pape Abou Cissé (Olympiacos, Greece), Abdou Diallo (PSG, France)
Ibrahima Mbaye (Bologna, Italy), Abdoulaye Seck (Royal Antwerp, Belgium), Fodé Ballo-Touré (Milan, Italy), Cheikhou Kouyaté (Crystal Palace, England)
Midfielders: Pape Matar Sarr (FC Metz, France), Pape Gueye (Marseille, France), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City, England), Idrissa Gana Gueye (PSG, France)
Moustapha Name (Paris FC, France), Mamadou Loum Ndiaye (Deportivo Alaves, Spain), Joseph Lopy (Sochaux, France)
Forwards: Sadio Mané (Liverpool, England), Ismaila Sarr (Watford, England), Bamba Dieng (Marseille, France), Keita Baldé (Cagliari, Italy), Habib Diallo (Strasbourg, France)
Boulaye Dia (Villareal, Spain), Famara Diédhiou (Alanyaspor, Turkey), Mame Baba Thiam (Kayserispor, Turkey).
Enyimba International Football Club of Aba on Saturday recorded a precious win away in the 2021/2022 CAF Confederation Cup’s second preliminary round first leg match.
Cyril Olisema scored from the penalty kick spot three minutes from time to give Enyimba a precious away win over Senegal’s ASC Diambars in Thies.
The game looked on its way to a barren stalemate till the two-time African champions swept them away.
They were awarded a penalty kick after 87 minutes, and Olisema kept his nerves to give The People’s Elephants the match-winner.
Algeria’s JS Kabylie returned from neighboring Morocco with a 1-0 victory over AS FAR in Rabat.
Ali Haroun shot was deflected by FAR defender Mohamed Moufid to give JS Kabylie the lead after 19 minutes.
The visitors stood strong against the Moroccans’ numerous trials to find an equaliser to emerge victorious.
The return leg will take place in Tizi Ouzou on Oct. 23