Sadio Mané Strikes Again, Egypt's Dreams of Afcon Glory Crushed
In a semi-final that promised much but delivered little in terms of footballing flair or excitement, Senegal edged out Egypt 1-0 on Wednesday to set up a showdown with Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
For Egypt, the match was more of an exercise in self-preservation rather than a genuine attempt to win. Under manager Hossam Hassan, they employed a defensive strategy that was designed to nullify Senegal's attacking threat and rely on counter-attacks. It was a plan that ultimately proved to be their undoing.
Senegal, on the other hand, were determined to exploit Egypt's lack of creativity and movement up front. They put pressure on the Egyptian defence from an early stage, with both Kalidou Koulibaly and Habib Diarra missing out through suspension, but it was Lamine Camara who ultimately proved to be the match-winner.
Camara's goal, a ferocious snapshot that found the bottom corner of Mohamed El Shenawy's net, was the result of some patient and compact defending by Senegal. The Eagles had been working the ball around the edge of the box for much of the match, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
When it came, Camara was there to take advantage. He collected a pass on the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful shot that rebounded off Hamdy Fathy's chest before finding its way past El Shenawy. The goal was given, and Egypt's dreams of Afcon glory were crushed.
In an interview after the match, Sadio Mané credited his team's solidity as the key to their success. "We were patient and we knew that any kind of mistake would be punished," he said. "So we tried from the beginning to be compact and to press as soon as we lost the ball and put them under big pressure."
Mané had previously come up against Egypt in knockout tournaments, but this time it was he who emerged victorious. The Senegal forward has now scored in two consecutive Afcon semi-finals, both of which have ended with his team reaching the final.
As for Hassan, he was left to ponder what might have been if only his team had shown more ambition or creativity on the pitch. Egypt's defeat means that Hossam Hassan may be at risk of losing his job before the World Cup - a fate that could come as a surprise to few given the criticism he has already faced from senior figures within Egyptian football.
The stage is now set for Senegal and Morocco, who will face off in the Afcon final on Sunday. Can either team live up to their teams' expectations? Only time will tell.
In a semi-final that promised much but delivered little in terms of footballing flair or excitement, Senegal edged out Egypt 1-0 on Wednesday to set up a showdown with Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
For Egypt, the match was more of an exercise in self-preservation rather than a genuine attempt to win. Under manager Hossam Hassan, they employed a defensive strategy that was designed to nullify Senegal's attacking threat and rely on counter-attacks. It was a plan that ultimately proved to be their undoing.
Senegal, on the other hand, were determined to exploit Egypt's lack of creativity and movement up front. They put pressure on the Egyptian defence from an early stage, with both Kalidou Koulibaly and Habib Diarra missing out through suspension, but it was Lamine Camara who ultimately proved to be the match-winner.
Camara's goal, a ferocious snapshot that found the bottom corner of Mohamed El Shenawy's net, was the result of some patient and compact defending by Senegal. The Eagles had been working the ball around the edge of the box for much of the match, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
When it came, Camara was there to take advantage. He collected a pass on the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful shot that rebounded off Hamdy Fathy's chest before finding its way past El Shenawy. The goal was given, and Egypt's dreams of Afcon glory were crushed.
In an interview after the match, Sadio Mané credited his team's solidity as the key to their success. "We were patient and we knew that any kind of mistake would be punished," he said. "So we tried from the beginning to be compact and to press as soon as we lost the ball and put them under big pressure."
Mané had previously come up against Egypt in knockout tournaments, but this time it was he who emerged victorious. The Senegal forward has now scored in two consecutive Afcon semi-finals, both of which have ended with his team reaching the final.
As for Hassan, he was left to ponder what might have been if only his team had shown more ambition or creativity on the pitch. Egypt's defeat means that Hossam Hassan may be at risk of losing his job before the World Cup - a fate that could come as a surprise to few given the criticism he has already faced from senior figures within Egyptian football.
The stage is now set for Senegal and Morocco, who will face off in the Afcon final on Sunday. Can either team live up to their teams' expectations? Only time will tell.
sadio mané is just on fire right now 
his goal was so sick how can you explain not scoring a single goal in the whole match though? and i think hassan should have taken more risks or something but like, it's all part of the game, gotta respect senegal's solid defense 
think they're trying to manipulate our minds with this Sadio Mané story... he's just a pawn in a bigger game 
all these semi-final matches are carefully crafted to get us to buy into the hype, and then Egypt comes out on top (in their heads) 
but it's all about Morocco now, isn't it? 
gotta ask, what's really at stake here?
. I think Sadio Mané's team strategy was spot on though - putting pressure on them from the start and just wearing them down. It's cool that he got to redeem himself against Egypt this time around 
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. They've got some great players like Hakim Ziyech and Sofyan Amrabat who can definitely give Senegal a run for their money. It's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out on Sunday 
. sadio mané is like the master of doing just enough, i mean who needs fancy footwork when you can just chip in with a single goal? 
still, gotta give them credit for being solid as a rock, that's what won it for them. morocco better bring their A-game or senegal's gonna be holding up the Afcon trophy 
cant they be more proactive? 
and sadio mané is on fire! he always does well in big tournaments 
but its kinda sad that egypt got eliminated so early again 
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, I mean, he's one of the best forwards in Africa for a reason. You can't blame him for being confident and taking advantage of Egypt's lack of creativity on the pitch 
. Anyway, Senegal's on to the final now, let's see if they can actually deliver a decent performance