The Africa Cup of Nations reached a dramatic climax on Sunday night with Sadio Mane dispatching the winning penalty as Senegal emerged victorious over Mohamed Salah’s Egypt.
Along with Liverpool’s two finalists, team-mate Naby Keita and Blues star Alex Iwobi both cruised through the group stages with Guinea and Nigeria but found themselves out after shock round of 16 exits.
This helped provide a stage for some of the continent’s unexpected nations to show off their talented players, and as is the case usually following an international tournament, their stock rises, and they gain new admirers as the next transfer window rolls around.
