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Senegal won her first Africa Cup of Nations trophy at the Olembe Stadium in Cameroon defeating Egypt on penalties after playing 120 minutes of football. The game was dominated by the West Africans from kick-off to the final kick of the game. Egypt's goalkeeper who is popularly known as Gabaski made some heroic saves that denied Senegal a goal.

Senegal won the game 4-2 on penalties after playing goalless for over two hours of football. Both teams will play each other in no distant future at the FIFA World Cup qualifier tie played in March 2️022.

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On February 6, 2022, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) crowned Senegal, led by coach Aliou Cassie as the new African Cup Of Nations (AFCON 2021) Champions.

Senegal triumphed over the Pharaohs of Egypt in an edgy contest in a fixture that lastest for 120 minutes that went to penalty shootouts.

The win is very special for the Senegalese team as it is their first major trophy on the African continent.
The journey of Senegal in the AFCON tournament is worth mentioning as they have qualified for the competition and have failed on each attempt till the tides turned in the 17th time.

The lions of Teranga came close to winning the tournament after qualifying for two finals of the AFCON in 2002 and 2019.
Most would wonder why the AFCON 2021 was a notable victory for Senegal, and the truth would be it was a win for their coach Aliou Cisse.

Since the start of the tournament in January 2022, Senegal remained resilient and goal-driven even when they had suffered setbacks like losing key players due to injury and COVID-19.

The team coach, Aliou Cisse, is an important figure in Senegalese football. The 45-year-old had played for the national side from 1999 till 2005; during this period, he captained Senegal in the 2002 World Cup and led them to the quarter-finals. He also led the team in 2002 to the finals of the AFCON competition.

He retired and took over as the coach of the side and led them to their second finals in the African Cup Of Nations in 2019, their second final in the competition, but they had lost to Algeria with the scoreline of 1-0.

Cisse had been under immense pressure from the football federation and fans; Mane, in an interview with BBC Sports Africa, highlighted this and indicated that they had wanted to win the trophy for their coach.

He said:

"I believe this man [Aliou Cisse] deserves everything because he's the most criticized coach I've ever seen in my life, but he never gives up; he trusts himself, he trusts the group. He has critics outside, but right here he is doing his job; most importantly, we would like to win this for him and our country because he deserves it after everything he went through as a player for Senegal and now as the coach; it will be a great reward for everything he has given to his country."

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Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy voiced his confidence in manager Cisse and how he would be instrumental in them defeating Egypt.

He said

"We've been here before, but the manager has what it takes to lead us to success; What makes Senegal special under his guidance, I think, is the team spirit and the team effort.

Although Egypt still has the highest success rate in the African Cup of Nations finals, Senegal managed to turn things around and get the much-deserved win after a shaky start and a penalty miss. AFCON 2021 was a beautiful experience that showed African football's dynamics and evolution.

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Egypt's goalkeeper trainer, Essam El Hadary gave the bottle to Gabaski immediately after the referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the extra-time. The 33-year-old who was perfect all those the game made series of top class save to deny the Terenga Lions any chance of finding the back of the net.

The information of the bottle however was vital as Gabaski went in the right direction for four of the penalties but he was only able to catch one of the kicks. The Senegalese won the game 4-2 on penalties after Chelsea's goalkeeper saved a penalty from Trezeguet while Sadio Mane the winning penalty of the game.

WATCH:

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The first half started with a lot of action as the Terenga Lions were awarded a penalty in the first five minutes of the game. Mane failed to convert the penalty as the kick was saved by the Pharoahs goalkeeper, Gabaski.

The penalty miss did not stop Senegal from executing their game plan as they put pressure on the defence of the Egyptians, but they failed to convert any of the chances. The first real chance for the Egyptians came towards the end of the first half through the boots of Mohamed Salah but his shot could not beat Mendy in goal.

The second half started the same way the first half ended as the Senegalese created a lot of chances to break the deadlock of the game. The Pharaohs also had their half-chances but it was not good enough to find the back of the net.

The Egyptians took the game into extra time for the fourth time in the competition. The Terenga Lions took off from where they left it after regulation time but every chance they had was stopped from going into the net of the Pharaohs by the kepper, Gabaski. The game ended goalless after two hours of football.

Senegal won the game 4-2 on penalties.

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READ ALSO: AFCON2021: VINCENT ABOUBAKAR LEADS CAMEROON TO THIRD-PLACE FINISH

The final match will be played at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, today ( Sunday, February 6th, 2022). This is the third time Senegal will reach the final of the competition, the last time they reached the final was in 2019 when they lost to 1-0 to Algeria.

The Pharaohs were also finalists in 2017 which was hosted in Gabon where they lost 2-1 to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. The fans of both teams will look forward to burying the memories of both finals that were lost. This final will see two of the finest attacking players (Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane) come against each other when the game kicks off in Olembe Stadium.

Head to Head ( AFCON)

1986: Senegal 1-0 Egypt

2000: Egypt 1-0 Senegal

2002: Senegal 1-0 EEgypt

2006: Egypt 2-1 Senegal

Road to Final

Egypt did not start their competition on a good note as they lost their opening game 1-0 to Nigeria, they won their last two games by the same scoreline against Guinea-Bissau and Sudan. All their knock-out games when into extra time against Ivory Coast, Morocco and Cameroon.

Senegal won their opening game 1-0 against Zimbabwe followed by stalemates against Guinea and Malawi. They won their Round of 16 game 3-1 against Cape Verde, they won their quater-final and semi-final games 3-@ against Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso respectively.

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It was a thrilling third-place game that gave a lot of football fans around as it was a game that had everything that a football game should have. Burkina Faso went 3 goals ahead before the 50th minute with goals from Steeve Yago, an own goal from Andre Onana and Djibril Ouattara.

Cameroon came back roaring in the final 20 minutes of the game as Bahoken pulled a goal back for the host nation on the 71st minute. The tournament's leading goal scorer, Vincent Aboubakar who was brought in the second half scored a brace in the four minutes to take the game to penalties.

The game went into penalty shoot-outs after regulation time. Cameroon were perfect in the execution of their penalties but Burkina Faso failed to score one of their penalties. The game ended 3-3 after regulation time and 5-3 on penalties.

The final game of the tournament will be played on Sunday, February 6th, 2022 between Senegal and Egypt.

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The Pharaohs took their pound of flesh against Cameroon on Thursday, February 3rd, 2022 at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon. The game ended goalless after 120 minutes of entertaining football but Egypt won the game 3-1 on penalties.

The hero of the game was the Pharoahs goalkeeper, Gabaski as he saved two of the host nation penalty to ensure they set up a date with the Terenga Lions of Senegal. Senegal will look to erase the memories of 2019 from their heads where they lost the final match to Algeria.

The final will be played at the Olembe Stadium on Sunday, February 6th, 2022.

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The Pharaohs won the game 3-1 on penalties following a superb performance from the Egyptian goalkeeper, who saved two of the Cameroonian penalties.

The game was keenly contested between both powerhouses of Africa Football. The first half ended goalless but the best chance of the game came the way of Cameroon in the second half but the ball could not find the back of the Egyptians net.

Coach of the Egyptians, Carlos Queiroz was sent off in the second half of the game following an outburst on the touchline between himself and the referee

Both teams met at the final of the Africa Cup Nations in 2017 which was hosted in Gabon. The game ended in favour of the Indomitable Lions with Vincent Aboubakar getting the winning goal with just two minutes from regulation time.

The Terenga Lions of Senegal will play Egypt in the final on Sunday, February 6th, 2022, while Cameroon will play Burkina Faso in the third-place match.

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Sadio Mane, Liverpool star and captain of the Senegal team, led his side to victory in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2021).

Senegal, categorized as one of the probable winners of the AFCON 2021 tournament, took no prisoners in their fixture against Burkina Faso in their semi-final fixture on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, as they took an emphatic win of 3-1 over their opponents.

Sadio Mane was named man of the match after a world-class display from the Liverpool frontman, who provided one goal and an assist to lead his side into the finals of the competition.

Senegal has maintained a fine form that has gone under the radar and unnoticed by football lovers as they have only conceded two goals in the entire tournament. Although Senegal had been off to a slow start in the tournament, the team's form had improved in the round of 16.

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With Senegal in the finals, the outcome of Cameroon vs Egypt fixture that would be played today, Thursday, February 3, 2022, at 8 pm. 

For most football lovers, the dream fixture of Senegal vs Egypt would see the two Liverpool stars face off at the national level of their football careers. 

The hosts, Cameroon have also shown that they are worthy opponents worthy of a mention in AFCON 2021 and a final against a Sadio Mane led Senegal would also make a cracker football fans would be interested in.

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The seven-time African Champion continued their quest for a record eighth time as they came back from a goal down to beat Morocco 2-1. The Atlas Lions took the lead on the seventh minute from the penalty spot which was converted by Sofiane Boufal.

Egypt came out in full swing in the second half as Mohamed Salah equalised on the 53rd minute following a loose ball from the Moroccan goalkeeper. The Egyptians took the lead in the first half of the extra time from the boots of Trezeguet who connected to a pass from Salah.

Egypt will play host Cameroon in the semi-finals of the competition

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The only goal of the game was scored by 19-year-old forward player, Dango Quattara in the second minute of the first-half stoppage time to give the Burkinabe the lead. The Tunisians pushed for an equaliser in the second half but they found it difficult to break the Burkina Faso's defence.

The only downside for the West African country is that they will be without their goal scorer, Quattara in the semi-final. The striker was sent off on the 82nd minute for a dangerous play on a Tunisian Player.

This is the third consecutive time that Burkina Faso will be beating Tunisia in the quater-final of the AFCON.

Burkina Faso will play the winner of either Senegal or Equatorial Guinea in the Semifinal for a place in the final of the 33rd Edition of the African Cup of Nations.

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The host Nation qualified in grand style by beating the Gambia in the quarter-final of the competition on Saturday, January 29th, 2022. Cameroon needed two goals from one of the best players lf the tournament Toko Ekambi to send his country to the last four of the tournament.

The first half did not see any goals as it was keenly contested between both teams. Ekambi extended his goal tally in the competition to six goals as he scored two quick goals to book a spot for Cameroon in the Semi-finals.

Cameroon will play against the winner of the game between Egypt and Morocco.

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Tunisia, now in the quarter-finals, is set to face Burkina Faso and will be attempting to win the most coveted trophy in Africa for the second time in AFCON 2021. The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their round of 16 fixture after finishing 3rd in the group stages. This came as a shocker to many because of the formidable run of Nigeria in the group stages of the AFCON 2021. 

After the COVID-19 outbreak that limited the quality of the Tunisian side and back-to-back losses in the group stages of AFCON 2021, it is still shocking how Tunisia has made it this far, even when the odds were stacked against them.

Burkina Faso, as a country, is currently not in a good place after its military overthrew the democratic government. This questions how fit mentally this side would be ahead of their AFCON 2021 quarterfinals against Tunisia.

Head-to-head

This is the third time both sides will meet in the African Cup of Nations and Burkina Faso has successfully defeated Tunisia in the two meetings on penalties.

Records don't matter if the current form is shaky. With Tunisia losing three and winning two out of their last five matches in AFCON 2021, Burkina Faso looks like they stand a better chance after drawing the last three out of their last five matches. in the competition.

Date, start time, and location.

The kick-off for this fixture will be at 8 pm today, January 29, 2022, at the Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua, Cameroon.

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Team News 

Tunisia would welcome players that missed the round of 16 fixture due to COVID-19, but Montassar Talbi would still stay out as he is still positive for the virus. Burkina Faso will go into this match without their key starter, Issoufou Dayo, who is in doubt after missing the game with Gabon as a result of an injury. 

Burkina Faso's expected lineup: Koffi; Kabore, Ouattara, Tapsoba, Yago; Nikiema, Guira, Sangare, Bande; Outtara, Traore.

Tunisia's possible starting lineup is as follows: Said; Drager, Talbi, Ifa, Haddadi; Skhiri, Laidouni, Slimane; Khaziri, Jaziri, Msakni.

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The round of 16 fixture at AFCON 2021 between Ivory Coast and Egypt took place on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, saw the Egyptian side led by Mohamed Salah beat an Ivorian side led by Serge Aurier on penalties after a 0-0 scoreline at the end of full time and extra time.

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly missed the penalty that would have kept his side in the tournament before Mohamed Salah converted the last spot-kick of the game to propel Egypt into the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Ivory Coast had fought from the very first minute till the last minute creating chance after chance but saw their efforts being kept out by the goalkeeper, El Shenawy who managed to keep his side in the competition and straight to penalties.

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The Egyptian side also had chances created but failed to covert as the Ivorian goalkeeper, Badra Sangare who managed to push Mohamed Salah's dipping attempt.

Ivory Coast had a good run in the tournament but would look forward to the next AFCON as they would be missing in the World Cup qualifiers' action.

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The decision to move the game from Olembe to Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium was because of the recent stampede that happened during the game between Cameroon and Comoros in the Round of 16 fixture. The host nation won the game 2-1 on Monday, January 24th, 2022.

Governor of the central region of Cameroon, Naseri Biya confirmed the stampede after the game. According to reports, the situation occurred when people tried to force their way into the stadium, leaving eight persons dead and 38 others injured.

President of CAF, Patrice Motsepe has called for an investigation into what really happened that lead to the death of those football fans.

We have to make sure the safely of every single spectator is our primary concern. There is zero tolerance on circumstances which could result in people being injured at a stadium or losing their lives. We have to take emergency and urgent steps now so I have called for a meeting tomorrow and I will have to sought the guidance and advice of my vice presidents. I need a report on what happened, the circumstances that led to people being injured and emergency measures to make that does not happen again. We have to take collective responsibility. There must be a committee set up immediately to investigate what happened and find out who did not perform their responsibilities. We want that report by Friday. The game that is scheduled to take place at Olembe Stadium on Sunday is not going to take place. It is going to take place at Ahmadou Ahidjo.

The Olembe Stadium was supposed to host the game between the winner of Ivory Coast vs Egypt and the winner of Morocco vs Malawi.

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The Super Eagles of Nigeria were handed a shocking defeat in their AFCON 2021 round of 16 match against Tunisia on Sunday, January 23, 2022. This was met with mixed reactions as ex-Super Eagles player Austin Okocha and the current coach, Austin Eguavoen, had a lot to say.

Mixed reactions trailed the loss of Nigeria to Tunisia in the AFCON round of 16 fixture, as players, ex-players, fans, and even the coach could not hide their disappointment. Nigeria had played against a Tunisian side that had been battling COVID cases and a poor run of form but still could not manage to get one past the defense.

Alex Iwobi was sent off in the 66^th minute for a rash tackle on a Tunisian player. This saw an already struggling Nigerian side get reduced to 10- men.

Austin Okocha said in his pre-match analysis that Tunisia would be a tough opponent for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the AFCON round of 16 fixture and, as such, they should be alert and careful with their style of play.

Okocha said in the post-match analysis on Supersport,

They executed their tactics well. This is a disappointing loss. They outclassed Nigeria. I have always said that you are only as good as your next game. This is a lesson for every big team.

I think it is good to see that we are flying high, but the most important thing is the next game, and we can only justify our performances so far if we go on and win the next one.

So the next one is the toughest one for you and the one you have to win. I hope we will carry on the good job that we are doing so far.

Okocha on supersport

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In a post-match interview, the interim manager of the Super Eagles, Austin Eguavoen, spoke in a post-match interview about the match between Nigeria and Tunisia in the AFCON round of 16. He said

We tried to come back after the Tunisia goal, and we chased the game. But then we got a red card. It was clear that the officiating wasn't fair. I have toldd the players to pick up and ensure they qualify Nigeria for the world cup.

I won't criticise the referee beacuse they are the masters of the game, but Alex Iwobi's red card wasn't fair. The foul wasn't an intentional one.

post match interview

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