Senegal won the African Cup for the first time in history on Sunday. In the final, the record champion defeated Egypt on penalties after both teams failed to score in regular time. Star player Sadio Mané, who missed from eleven meters in the seventh minute, used the decisive penalty.
In the Paul Biya Stadium in the Cameroonian capital Yaoundé, both teams kept each other in check for the entire game. Except for the early penalty for Senegal, saved by Egyptian goalkeeper Gabaski, there were few chances for both teams. For Egypt, the 0-0 score after ninety minutes meant that this tournament went into extra time for the fourth game in a row. The seven-time champion only won two of the three games on his way to the final after penalties.
In extra time, Gabaski saved a shot from Senegalese substitute Cheick Dieng and goalkeeper Édouard Mendy saved the other side of the field on an Egyptian bet. The Egyptians missed Monen and Lasheen in the penalty shootout, after which Mané was able to correct his mistake from the opening phase. The Liverpool attacker shot flawlessly and gave his country the victory.
Also read: All of Africa sympathizes with the Africa Cup, while Europe looks down on it
stadium disaster
The final took place in the stadium where a stadium disaster took place earlier in this tournament. Ahead of the eighth final match between host country Cameroon and the Comoros, at least eight supporters were killed in the crowd in front of the stadium entrances, and 38 fans were injured. The incident could have happened because thousands of people wanted to attend the game without tickets, after which stewards locked the gates. The supporters who stood in front of the gates then came under pressure.
After the disaster, the African Football Association decided to move a quarter-final match scheduled for the Paul Biya Stadium to another stadium in Yaoundé. The semi-finals and finals planned in Yaoundé could still take place in the stadium, after the authorities had taken extra security measures.