Yaounde, Jan. 31 (BUS): The biggest stars of African football meet in the biggest match of their continent.
Egypt Mohamed Salah and Senegal led by Sadio Mane qualified for the African Cup of Nations semi-finals on Sunday. One more win for both teams would see the Liverpool duo meet in the final, The Associated Press reported.
Salah scored the equalizer and assisted the winning goal to inspire Egypt’s comeback to beat Morocco 2-1 after extra time in the first quarter-final of the day.
Mane Famara made Didio in Senegal’s opening match in a 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea later on at the Ahmedou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.
Substitutes Shekho Kouyate and Ismael Sarr ended Equatorial Guinea, who equalized through Yannick Boyla, a few minutes after a penalty was awarded and withdrawn by VAR.
Egypt qualified for the semi-final match against tournament hosts Cameroon, a repeat of the 2017 final match won by Cameroon. Thursday’s match will also be a confrontation between the two most successful teams in the history of the African Cup, with 12 titles between them.
Senegal will play Burkina Faso in their first semi-final on Wednesday, as Mane’s team strives to reach their second successive final. Senegal are hoping to win one title this year to get rid of their unwanted title as the best team that hasn’t won a single African title.
Egypt retreated to an early penalty kick, which was won by Ashraf Hakimi, and Sufian Boufal hit it in the seventh minute.
Egypt captain Salah reacted swiftly to rebound to make it 1-1 in the 53rd minute and sent a perfectly low cross for Trezeguet to approach the end of the first half of extra time.
And left Egypt to rely on the third option of goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi most of the extra time after the injury of Mohamed Abu Gabal, who was already in the team instead of the first seed, Mohamed El-Shennawy.
Abu Jabal was injured in the original time but tried to play through it. He couldn’t, and had to go out in the sixth minute of extra time, leaving 22-year-old Sobhi to make his debut for his country in the final stages of a high-pressure match.
In the end, he was not tested, and Salah and Trezeguet shared the win four minutes after Sobhi entered. Salah faced three defenders who covered him on the right wing, but he went outside and crossed with his right foot into Trezeguet’s path at the back post.
Trezeguet’s celebration was all about acknowledging Salah’s brilliance. He knelt in front of the Liverpool striker, put Salah’s right foot on his knee and pretended to polish his shoes.
Egypt has not won the African Cup since achieving a record seventh title in 2010. Salah made his debut for the national team a year after that victory and is still searching for his first major title with his country.
So is his Liverpool teammate, Mane, although the wait for Senegal was much longer.
Mane’s pass opened the defense of Equatorial Guinea in front of central attacking Didio to score in the 28th minute.
Senegal looked in control but received a first yellow card when they awarded a penalty against captain Kalidou Koulibaly in the 50th minute. It was overturned by referee Victor Gomez after he saw in the VAR that Coulibaly’s right hand was by his side when the ball hit it.
Equatorial Guinea scored after seven minutes, but the introduction of Kouyate and Sarr as a substitute came too long for Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.
Kouyate put Senegal ahead just three minutes after arriving when he hit a defensive header erroneously. Sarr finished off after a great job down the left wing of Salio Cess.
That goal was also an acquittal for Senegal after insisting Sarr join the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations despite his club Watford saying he was injured and would not be able to play in the tournament.
Sarr was sent to Spain by Senegal to receive treatment for a knee injury and will now be part of the final stages of his country’s pursuit of the title.
Senegal will play Burkina Faso again at the Ahmedou Ahidjo stadium. Egypt and Cameroon will meet at the tournament’s main Olympiad stadium across town in Yaounde after they were allowed to play matches again after a deadly stadium crush last week.