"African Footballer of the year" "Best GK in the world" - Chelsea fans heap praise on Edouard Mendy after penalty shootout heroics against Egypt

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy helped his national side Senegal qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, 29 March. He saved a penalty in the penalty shootout in their 3-1 win over Egypt in the World Cup Qualifiers.

The two-legged tie ended 1-1 in regulation and extra time and the game went to penalties. Egypt's Mohamed Salah notably also missed his penalty as Sadio Mane scored the winning penalty for Senegal.

The feat was a replication of his heroics at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. He then saved a penalty in the final against Egypt as well, helping Senegal lift the trophy.

Senegal and Chelsea fans were understandably delighted by Mendy's performance and heaped praise on the goalkeeper. They took to Twitter to express their appreciation for the Senegalese.

Many fans went on to claim that Mendy is the best goalkeeper in the world. They also expressed their disappointment that Paris Saint-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Yashin Award at the Ballon d'Or 2021.

Mendy has been sensational for both club and country in recent years. He joined Chelsea from Rennes in 2020 and helped the Blues lift the Champions League title. He kept nine clean sheets in 12 appearances in the competition, equalling the record for most clean sheets in one season. He joined Keylor Navas with Real Madrid (2015-16) and Santiago Canizares for Valencia (2000-01) on the list.

So far this season, he has kept five clean sheets in seven appearances in the Champions League.

He has also kept 27 clean sheets in 55 appearances in the Premier League since joining the Blues.

Mendy turns his attention to competing for more trophies with Chelsea now

With the final international break of the season over, players will return to their clubs for the final push of the season.

The Blues are third in the Premier League, 11 points behind leaders Manchester City, with a game in hand. Hence, they are arguably out of the race for the title. They also reached the final of the Carabao Cup but were defeated by Liverpool in the final on penalties.

However, they still have a couple of trophies to compete for. They will face Crystal Palace in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. They also have a big two-legged Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid.

Before all of that, they return to the Premier League on 2 April to face Brentford at Stamford Bridge.

About the author

Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.

A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.

Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.

Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.

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