Before the kick-off for Senegal v Egypt, the spotlight was all on strikers Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah, stars of the best Liverpool of the last 30 years. However, the penalty missed by the Senegalese in the opening minutes of the final of the African Cup of Nations, played this Sunday (6), seemed to give the Egyptian goalkeeper Gabaski the perfect script for him to become a hero.
But Mané had the chance for redemption. And he entered the history of football in Africa.
After a goalless draw in normal time, shirt 10 converted his penalty in the penalty shootout, a goal that confirmed Senegal’s 4-2 victory and gave the country its first continental title.
The Senegalese, led by Mané, had already hit the post in 2019, with the runner-up. The player was even named the best African footballer of that year. But the cup was missing, which finally arrived with the triumph in Cameroon.
A conquest that also puts him, finally, above Salah. Despite being decisive figures for Liverpool who won a Champions League and a Premier League under the command of Jürgen Klopp, the Egyptian has always gained more recognition in the world of football than his teammate.
Last January, FIFA’s The Best award placed Mohamed Salah among the three finalists. Robert Lewandowski was named the best player on the planet, with Lionel Messi in second, but the appointment of Salah, who has a better 2021/2022 season than even the previous one, indicates the admiration his peers have for his talent.
As Klopp said before the African Cup decision, one of the two will return to England happier. And that someone will be Mané, who will present himself with the recognition for having led Senegal to its first conquest on the continent.
If before the match the expectation was for the quality of the men in front, the real protagonists were the goalkeepers.
Early in the game, Senegalese Ciss invaded the area from the left and was taken down by Abdelmonen. penalty Before Mané’s free kick, Salah spoke to his team’s goalkeeper, most likely to indicate where and how his Liverpool teammate would kick.
It is difficult to know if the conversation was decisive or not, but Gabaski jumped to the right side and defended the charge of Senegal’s shirt 10, who kicked hard, but almost in the middle of the goal.
Gabaski had already been instrumental in qualifying in the round of 16, against Ivory Coast, defending a penalty, and against Cameroon, in the semi, when he took two penalties from the hosts of the African Cup to put his team in the final.
An unlikely highlight, as the number 16 was only a reserve in the Egyptian team, but he benefited from the injury of the titular El Shenawy to win the opportunity to play in the continental competition.
His colleague, Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy was also safe when required, making at least two important saves to avoid Egypt’s goal. One of them in Salah’s kick.
The performance of the Chelsea striker not only in this decision, but in the entire African Cup, justifies his election in January, in The Best award, as the best number 1 in the world. Mendy surpassed Gigi Donnarumma, Euro champion goalkeeper with Italy. It’s no small thing.
It was Gabaski, however, the big name of the 90 minutes. In the 45th minute, he made another good intervention in Dieng’s cross kick. In the sequence, he saved the team again, and again from Dieng’s submission, this time with a header.
With the score 0-0 on the scoreboard in regulation time, the decision went to overtime. Which is not uncommon in tournament finals. Of the last 12 editions, six ended with a draw in normal time (and five of them with goalless draws).
Nor is it a script that the Egyptians are not used to: in this competition alone, there were four extensions in the four knockout stages.
Keeping the goalkeepers unbeaten took the final to penalties. Gabaski, once again, played his part, defending Bouna Sarr’s charge. But Abdelmonen hit the post, and Lasheen stopped in Mendy’s defense.
On Senegal’s fourth strike, Sadio Mané was responsible for converting. The number 10, who throughout the dispute walked from one side to the other with his hands joined, as if he was praying, ran for the ball and sent it hard, in the left corner.
Goal that took the Senegalese to glory, and that left the runner-up in 2019 and the missed penalty definitively behind.
Source: Folha
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