Mohamed Salah to face Sadio Mane in AFCON final after Egypt win tense penalty shoot-out

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Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah will go up against Reds team-mate Sadio Mane in the final of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations after Egypt overcame the challenge posed by Cameroon in their last-four clash on Thursday evening. The Pharaohs will face Senegal for the coveted trophy on Sunday in a match that will see two of the Premier League’s best wingers go head-to-head for continental glory.

Mane booked his place in the final by chipping in with a goal and an assist as Senegal brushed Burkina Faso aside in their semi-final clash on Wednesday.

It remains to be seen whether he will come out on top against Salah and Egypt, who needed extra time and penalties to snatch a remarkable victory against the tournament hosts in Yaounde.

Salah struggled to get into the game throughout the first half as Cameroon stamped their authority on the contest from the first whistle.

The hosts started well and began to ask questions of Egypt’s defence in the early stages of the match, with the Indomitable Lions feeding off the raucous atmosphere created by the partisan home crowd.

They went close after just 17 minutes when Vincent Aboubakar struck the woodwork with a headed effort from close range.

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Michael Ngadeu and Toko Ekambi missed further chances to hand their side an early lead just moments later, with Cameroon unable to break the deadlock before the interval.

Egypt were forced into mounting their attacks on the break in order to stand any chance of shifting the momentum in their favour as the second half progressed.

However, they often found themselves unable to stay on the ball for long enough, leaving Salah isolated in his role as the team’s main attacking outlet.

The Liverpool ace registered his first shot on target shortly before the hour mark but was unable to cause any problems for Andre Onana between the sticks with a trickled effort from the edge of the area.

He was later denied once again by the Cameroon stopper as he bore down on goal after he was gifted possession on the edge of the area.

Emotions began to run high as the clock ticked down, with Egypt boss Carlos Quieroz being shown a red card on the touchline during the closing stages of normal time.

However, neither side were able to find the elusive winning goal ahead of the full-time whistle, with penalties eventually being required to decide the result.

Salah did not even get the chance to take a spot-kick, with Cameroon seeing two efforts saved before missing the decisive penalty to send Egypt into Sunday’s all-important final.

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Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Cameroon forward Aboubakar will revise his earlier criticism of Salah in the wake of Egypt’s latest victory to knock the hosts out.

“He is having a great season in the Premier League, he is helping his country to advance in the competition,” Aboubakar told RFI when quizzed on the Liverpool maestro ahead of Thursday’s match.

“I wish him a lot of luck, may the best win, [but] he doesn’t impress me much. I say it clearly because I’m an honest person and I have my way of seeing things.

“If he impressed me, I would say so. But he doesn’t impress me much. He’s a good player, he scores a lot but he doesn’t produce a lot of stuff in the game.

“Of course, he’s doing good stuff in the Premier League because he’s been in a team that’s been there for years. He’s a good player but not at the level of some like [Kylian] Mbappe.”

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