Africa Cup of Nations 2019: Senegal 0-1 Algeria - 3 reasons why Senegal lost

It was heartbreak once again for the Teranga Lions of Senegal.

Aliou Cisse's quest for redemption continues, and Senegal's unending wait for a maiden Africa Cup of Nations triumph will go on for another 2 years.

A second-minute goal was all it took for Algeria to win a second AFCON title, as Senegal had to unsuccessfully battle all game to overcome an unfortunate start to proceedings. Baghdad Bounedjah gave Algeria an ideal start, as his deflected shot looped over a bemused Alfred Gomis and into the goal.

The Teranga Lions did all they could to overturn the deficit, but Djamel Belmadi's side was tactically astute defensively, and they repelled wave after wave of Senegalese attack. It was truly a defensive masterclass.

For Senegal, the game was unfortunately over before it started.

Let's do our best to make sense of Senegal's loss to a very defensively dogged Algerian side.

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#3 Sadio Mane contained

Senegal's linchpin, Sadio Mane

A few weeks ago, Sadio Mane expressed how deep his desire to win the AFCON for his nation was, jokingly offering to drop his Champions League medal in exchange. In an interview he said,

“Winning with my country, which has never won the Africa Cup of Nations, that would be magnificent.

“I am even ready to swap a Champions League to win an Africa Cup of Nations.

“The return to Dakar would be extraordinary. This is my biggest and most crazy dream.”

However, the Desert Foxes were having none of that. He was singled out by the Algerian fans and players. He was constantly hassled by the tenacious Algerian defenders, and his touches were met with steady boos.

Although he had a better second half, he showed only snippets of his threat and speed, perhaps due to fatigue. It has been a very long campaign for Sadio Mane, going down the wire with both club and country.

#2 The absence of Kalidou Koulibaly

Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly

This is certainly a player Senegal needed in the final. In their semifinal clash against Tunisia, Kalidou Koulibaly picked up a yellow card, effectively ruling him out of the final. Salif Sane was given the nod for this one, and ironically, it was his deflection which cost Senegal the title.

The Algerian midfielders pressed the Senegalese centre backs on occasion, forcing them to play long balls. They missed Koulibaly's ability to play out long and short balls with both feet, as Kouyate and Sane weren't able to find teammates in midfield when closed down.

Koulibaly usually carried the ball out of the defence to draw the opposition out of their shape and played accurate long balls to runners. He also always managed to pick a pass to Sadio Mane.

He was arguably the tournament's best player, and perhaps the outcome of the final would have been different if he had played for Senegal.

#1 An unfortunate deflection and effective tactics from the Algerians

The Algerians were dogged all through the game

Senegal had the worst possible start to the encounter. It took just 2 minutes for the Algerians to take hold of proceedings. Bounedjah beat Kouyate on the left, he then cut inside and saw his shot deflect off Sane's head and past Gomis into the goal.

The Desert Foxes didn't look back afterward, as they defended their lead with ruthless aggression.

They had little of the possession in the first half, but put in 13 tackles, committed 15 fouls (mostly professional and cynical violations), and cut down Sarr as well as Mane multiple times.

They resorted to long-ball tactics after the lead, as Bounedjah ran the channels, drawing fouls and providing an outlet for his teammates.

In the second half, Aliou Cisse threw in the kitchen sink, however, Algeria's defending was superb. The centre backs were great on the ground and in the air, even defensively shy Riyad Mahrez was in on the defending, making multiple tackles and clearing the ball twice with his head.

The Algerians outfoxed their opponents tactically and were deserved winners.