Many chances were missed as the first half of the final of the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021 between Senegal and Egypt ended in a goalless draw.
Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah both sparkled during the game played at Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé on Sunday.
In the seventh minute, Mane missed a penalty while Mohamed Salah drives towards the goal in the 43rd minute – but the finish was unsuccessful.
Record seven-time champions Egypt and a Senegal side who have never lifted the trophy clash in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Yaounde on Sunday as superstar club colleagues Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane go head to head.
The match started at 7:00 pm at the Olembe Stadium in Cameroon’s capital, scene of the tragic stampede on January 24 which caused eight deaths and which has marred the tournament.
Egypt making it to the final by ending the dream of the host nation. They defeated Cameroon on penalties in the semi-finals to stay on track for a first Cup of Nations title since winning their third in a row in 2010.
Having made his international debut a year after that, the 29-year-old Salah has never won AFCON. Along with Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny, he is one of a handful of survivors from the Pharaohs team beaten in the 2017 final by Cameroon.
Senegal might lead the way for Africa in the FIFA rankings but there is pressure on them to at last win a first AFCON trophy, two and a half years after losing the final to Algeria in Cairo.
Mane has helped drag Senegal to a second consecutive final, scoring three times including once in the semi-finals when he also set up a goal in the 3-1 defeat of Burkina Faso.
Egypt are without veteran Portuguese coach Queiroz on the touchline as he is banned after being shown a red card in the semi-final. Right-back Omar Kamal is suspended too.