Senegal is celebrating in Yaoundè, where the final of the Africa Cup pitted the Lions of Taranga, never before risen to the top of the continent, and Egypt, the record holder of seven successes.
The final, played in the stadium theater of the dramatic deaths of eight people in the crowd before the Cameroon-Comoros match, was not spectacular and penalties were required to award the trophy after 120 minutes without a goal.
The national team led by Aliou Cissé prevailed, setting itself 4-2 thanks also to the centers of the 'Neapolitan' Koilibaly and to the leader Sadio Manè, who despite having missed a penalty at the opening of the game was able to raise the cup in the face of his teammate Liverpool team Momo Salah, who dreamed of finding the first triumph in the national team after the many joys with the Reds.
Mané during the tournament had scored three goals Salah two goals, plus the decisive shot in penalties with the Ivory Coast, but in the lottery of the final he was unable to give his contribution, because the previous mistakes of his teammates allowed his colleague -it is equivalent to repairing the previous serious mistake and putting an end to the challenge.
Senegal have never won the trophy but were among the most accredited teams on the eve for their full squad, with champions in every department: from Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy to defender Koulibaly, from Psg Gueye midfielder, up to strikers Mané and Dieng .
While respecting its characteristics, Senegal sought more possession while Egypt, having reached the decisive act more tired, focused on the restarts to take advantage of Salah's skills, managing to keep the offensive gusts of rivals at bay.
With the passing of the minutes and the waning of forces, the solution from the spot became almost mandatory, eventually rewarding the team that had the most desire to win, after a run-up started in 1965 and the finals lost in 2002 and 2019. For Manè and Koolibaly, mission accomplished.