The organizers of the African Championship could not have asked for a better final than the one to be held tonight in Yaounde, Cameroon: two of the favorites - Senegal vs. Egypt - but no less important, a direct battle between the two best players on the continent - Sadio Mana vs. Muhammad Salah.
It might be a bit cruel to present this final as a meeting between two Liverpool stars.
Still, each team is a story in itself.
Senegal is a star team that has never won a title, and whose coach, Elio Sisa, lost in the only two finals in which she participated.
In 2002 he missed the crucial penalty as a player, and in 2019 he was on the lines when she surrendered to Algeria.
Senegal started this tournament lazily when they scored just one goal in the home leg, but by knockout they have already been released and scored eight, including three against Burkina Faso in the semi-finals.
Egypt is also fascinating.
With coach Carlos Cyrus, sent off in a semi-final victory over Cameroon, the Pharaohs are close to one game in the eighth, and first since 2010. Her football may not be brilliant, but Egypt's survival power helped her get through each of the knockout stages after 120 minutes, when she twice needed decisive kicks. From the white spot.
In the hero segment, goalkeeper Muhammad Abu Gabal definitely meets the definition.
Salah and friends are celebrating the finals.
Their way was harder, Photo: EP
Above all
And yet, above these two teams hovers the encounter between Mana and Salah.
As Liverpool players they have won the English Championship and the Champions League together, but tonight only one of them will be left with the continental trophy and glory.
"It's a big achievement for both of them to reach the final," Jürgen Klopp said at Liverpool's press conference ahead of the cup game against Cardiff, "but it will not be easy because one of them will be happy at the end of the game and one really will not."
Jeremy, a former Cameroon, Chelsea and Real Madrid player, stressed the significance of this encounter for the two: "In Africa they are constantly comparing and trying to determine who is better, and I think this game will help a lot of people make a decision. This trophy will have great weight in the end This year, they will determine who is the best player. "
Mana in concluding training.
Blooming by knockout,
Meanwhile, in the current tournament, Mana is a little more impressive.
He scored three goals and added three assists, while Salah starred in the quarter-final against Morocco when he scored and cooked up the winning goal, but other than that he only contributed another winning goal against Guinea Bissau in the home leg.
In the semi-final against Cameroon, he was not even required to kick a penalty in a duel, as the Cameroons missed three before it was his turn.
At the same time, tonight's final has such a specific weight that it is able to forget what it has been so far.
It is clear to all of Africa that whoever stays with the trophy will open a gap in the personal battle for the continent's kingdom and will earn quite a few points in the balance of the golden ball.
In a month and a half, the two will meet again in the playoffs for promotion to the World Cup - a pair of games with an equally great specific weight - and tonight Salah and Mana have the opportunity to register their first big victory in the individual battle.
"We have to stay with our feet on the ground, but we feel we are giving an excellent tournament," the Egyptian star said ahead of the final.
His friend and rival Mana added: "You can see on my face how happy I am to be here."
Now, to gain fame they need to go through one more game and one team member.
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