Hail the Kings of African Football!
Senegal (Lions of Teranga) on Sunday night have been crowned the ‘Kings’ of African football after displaying a masterclass performance over seven-time champions Egypt and lifted their first-ever continental title with a commanding 4-2 victory.
The Egyptian pharaohs tipped as the most tactful team of the tournament couldn’t match the swiftness and flexibility of the Senegalese players on the ball as statistics indicated that the Lions of Teranga outrun the Pharaohs almost in every department with 81% pass accuracy and 58% ball possession to their credit.
It was not surprising that seven minutes into the game Senegal earned a spot-kick which Sadio Mane failed to convert.
The seesaw of play saw the Lions of Teranga tearing apart the Egyptian defence and kept fans on the edges of their seats but that couldn’t yield a goal from the many scoring opportunities they created neither in regulation nor extra time.
Penalties broke the deadlock. Egypt misfired two and Mane who missed a penalty in the 7th minute made Senegalese fans hold their breath when he took the decisive spot-kick in the 120th minute of the encounter.
Finally, when the 2021 AFCON player of the tournament slammed it into the back of the net, an eruption of excitement reverberated across Senegal as people poured into the streets of Dakar and partied the night away.
By MBC.
