Senegal holding its nerve to beat Egypt via a penalty shoot-out (4-2) on Sunday at the Stade d’Olembe in Yaounde, Cameroon, to clinch its maiden Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) brought the curtains down on a drama-filled, and at the same time tumultuous, tournament. Egypt, led by the Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah, came into the final with big-match pedigree, having won the title a record seven times. The North African heavyweight had also won its last six shoot-outs and had seen off fancied sides such as Ivory Coast, Morocco and the host Cameroon earlier in the competition. Senegal, on the other hand, had lost twice in the final, but found a hero in Sadio Mane, another of Liverpool’s effervescent stars, who scored the decisive penalty. It was a redemption of sorts for the 29-year-old, for he had fluffed a spot-kick as early as the sixth minute. But the night ended in glory, capped by a celebratory lap of honour with his nation’s flag draped around his shoulders. So it did for coach Aliou Cisse, who had missed the all-important penalty when Senegal first reached the final in 2002 and was the coach during the 2019 final defeat to Algeria. The quality of football in the final was largely dire and was marked by incessant fouling. But the lasting impression will be that of delirious Senegalese fans celebrating the moment their nation’s name was etched in the history book.
But the tournament will forever be punctuated by unsavoury happenings off the field. The most tragic of these was the trampling to death of at least eight Cameroonians on January 24 at the Stade d’Olembe. COVID-19, which had already led to the postponement of the event by a year, played spoilsport again, scuppering many a side’s best-laid plans and preparation time. It also did not help that certain European clubs and coaches were reluctant to release their players in the middle of their club seasons, with Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp even terming AFCON a “little tournament”. It is true that European football currently occupies an exalted position, with its crown jewel, the quadrennial tournament Euros, next only to the FIFA World Cup. But to deny other continental competitions their due would be a severe disservice. One just needs to look at what last year’s Copa America win meant to Lionel Messi. Despite having won every trophy and every award at club level, the Argentine legend coveted success with the national team the most. It was a similar quest for Mane and Senegal, of overcoming doubts and barriers, to experience the purest form of sporting joy there is. Mane called it the best day of his life and it is impossible to disagree.
