Whoever writes Sadio Mané’s scripts has been on form lately. For the second time in eight weeks, the Liverpool forward found himself with the chance to seal victory for Senegal against Egypt in a penalty shootout, although this time rather than being crowned African champions, it was for a place at the World Cup.
There had been an air of inevitability about the whole evening after Boulaye Dia’s effort deflected in off Hamdi Fathi in the fourth minute at the new Diamniadio Olympic Stadium in Dakar, which was packed with a capacity 50,000 crowd hours before kick-off. That early goal cancelled out Egypt’s 1-0 advantage from the first leg and Ismaïla Sarr had the chance to ease Senegal’s path to qualification long before the drama of the shootout, only for the Watford forward to miss a relatively straightforward opportunity.
