By Joe Apu
The AFCON 2021 final comes up today with Senegal and Egypt set to battle it out.
Senegal is in the final for the second time in a row and has never won the AFCON, losing the previous final in 2019 against Algeria and the 2002 one against Cameroon. On the opposite side, the Egyptians have won seven AFCON titles but haven’t been able to repeat that since 2010.
Coach Alou Cissé of Senegal and his wards beat Burkina Faso comfortably 3-1 to reach the final while Egypt struggled against the hosts Cameroon and after a 0-0 draw; they went through on penalties 3-1. It was Egypt’s third extra time and second penalty shoot-out in the tournament.
According to data analysis, Senegal has been a dominating side and their dominance on paper has translated into the pitch. The Lions of Teranga have scored a total of 9 goals (8 of them in the knock-out stage) which is much better than Egypt’s 4 goals.
Leading the attacks of both teams are Liverpool duo of Sadio Mané (Senegal) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt).
Mané’s tournament so far has been more positive than Salah’s. The Senegalese has scored 5 goals while Salah has only scored 3 goals. Both players have had their ups and downs so far in the tournament. Mané has been more decisive but his role is also more focused on finishing his team’s attacks while Salah has been in charge of creating chances more often. Both of them should be key for their nations in their quest to win the AFCON 2021 title.