Image Credits: Imago Images
Sadio Mane delivered heartbreak to his former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah as Senegal edged Egypt 1-0 in the AFCON 2025 semi-final in Tangier. The match was a cagey, low-quality affair with Egypt failing to register a single shot on target or win a corner before conceding.
Senegal dominated possession but struggled to break down Egypt’s resolute defensive setup until the 78th minute, when Mane struck. After Lamine Camara’s long-range effort was blocked, the ball fell fortuitously to Mane at the edge of the box before firing a clinical low finish past veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
The goal sent Senegal into their fourth AFCON final, where they will face Morocco on Sunday. For Salah, who had scored four goals in four matches en route to the semi-final, the defeat marked another crushing blow in his quest for a maiden AFCON title—reportedly shedding tears at the final whistle as his dream slipped away once again.
However, after the game, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan was quick to highlight that Senegal got much more rest than his side – and also did not have to travel like the Pharaohs did:
“The Senegal national team got 24 hours more rest than the Egyptian team, and it did not leave the city of Tangier, unlike us, we played a day after Senegal, and we traveled from Agadir to Tangier, there is no justice in the time difference between matches due to travel and the lack of time we were exposed to,” Hassan said as quoted by Win Win.
“We suffered from severe stress after traveling for more than a thousand kilometers, and we had to change the location of our camp, the opponent was stable in Tangier without taking the trouble of traveling to another city, and we suffered from not getting enough opportunity for the players to recover the required, I repeat this far from justice.”
The Pharaohs coach went on to explain that he “doesn’t blame the circumstances”:
“I don’t blame the circumstances, I am not looking for excuses for losing today’s match against Senegal, we made a great effort in the match against Côte d’Ivoire, and today also a great effort against Senegal, and I thank the players again.”
“Today’s match witnessed some refereeing errors, and I have the right to demand our rights as a team, I made a great effort during the match, and I hope that the International Federation of Football, FIFA, will intervene in major tournaments such as African Cup of Nations”.
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool fans will have to wait a little longer to see Salah back at Anfield, as Egypt must contest the third-place playoff against the loser of the Nigeria vs Morocco match.
Salah is likely to be available for the Premier League champions when they travel to Marseille for their Champions League fixture on January 21.
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