Senegal 0(4)-0(2) Egypt: 5 talking points as Mane redeems himself after penalty miss as Senegal lift maiden trophy | 2021 AFCON final

#3 Goalkeepers steal the show in dull goalless game

Edouard Mendy saved Mohanad Lasheen's penalty in the shootout.

Senegal had the better share of chances in the game than Egypt. It was their goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who was arguably the best player on the night. He was not too busy in regulation time, but made two crucial saves.

Just before half-time, Salah found space inside the box and tried to curl one in from his left foot at the near post. However, the Chelsea keeper was up to the task, tipping the ball over.

Mendy's counterpart Gabanski continued to impress, as he denied Sadio Mane from the spot in the seventh minute. He also stood firm in the shootout to deny Bouna Sarr. He was the standout player for the team in the tournament, but unfortunately, his teammates failed to match his level of play.

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#2 Third time's the charm for Senegal

Senegal won their first major international trophy.

Senegal coach Aliou Cissé will be a happy man after leading his team to the AFCON title as a coach. Previously, he had failed to do so as the team's captain when they first made it to the AFCON final in the 2002 edition.

Senegal suffered heartbreak in the 2019 edition, suffering a narrow 1-0 loss to Algeria in the title decider. So finally lifting the winner's medal and that too against Egypt, the record seven-time champions, is a great achievement for the team.

Senegal conceded just two goals in their title-winning campaign while scoring eight times in the knockout stage. They were strong favourites heading into the competition, so it is good to see that they lived up to expectations.

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#1 Sadio Mane redeems himself after missed penalty

Sadio Mane missed a penalty, but scored the winning one in the shootout.

It was poetic justice that Sadio Mane, the standout player for Senegal, took the last kick of the 2021 AFCON. He has missed a great chance to give his team an early lead when Saliou Ciss was brought down in the box by a sliding tackle from Mohamed Abdelmonem.

Mane stepped up to take the penalty, with his Liverpool teammate Salah having a word with Gabanski. Mane went for power over placement, but his driven effort down the middle was saved by the goalkeeper, who stood his ground.

However, Mane redeemed himself with a confident spot-kick in the shootout. For his outstanding performances in the knockout stage of the competition, he was awarded the Player of the Tournament award.