It may have been Egypt’s Pharaohs taking on Senegal’s Lions of Teranga in the first AFCON semi-final in Tangier, but the sub-plot was all about two men who were teammates at Liverpool for five successful seasons where they won every major honour once. Like Sadio Mane, who now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr after an unhappy season with Bayern Munich (2022-23), Mohamed Salah too is 33. Neither is the force that they were in their prime, though Salah still struck 29 English Premier League goals – along with 18 assists – as Liverpool romped to the title last season.
On Wednesday night, nearly 2000km away from Anfield, the two hugged in the tunnel before kick-off. What followed was a poor advertisement for the tournament. Egypt were robust and disciplined, but offered next to nothing as an attacking force. Senegal dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge, with much of Mane’s fancy footwork coming too far from goal to be a threat.
The stalemate continued till the 78th minute when Lamine Camara’s speculative strike from distance spun off an Egyptian defender and into Mane’s path. Though he was just outside the box near the D, Mane didn’t waste any time. An unerring low finish caught out Mohamed El Shenawy and gave Senegal a lead they would hold on to with a degree of comfort. Omar Marmoush’s late strike from distance, straight at Edouard Mendy, was Egypt’s only effort on target in the 90 minutes. Even as the tears flowed at the final whistle, neither the Pharaohs nor their fans could have any complaints.
As for the two main protagonists, throughout their time together at Anfield, there was also an undercurrent of tension. Mane had arrived first, from Southampton in the summer of 2016, and his dazzling play on the right flank before injury curtailed his season gained Liverpool an invaluable UEFA Champions League slot. Then, Salah arrived from AS Roma, for a few pounds more. With Roberto Firmino the fulcrum of Liverpool’s attacking play through the middle, it was Salah that was asked to play ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right touchline. Mane was shunted to the left.
In public, Mane got on with it. With his physical presence and tenacity, he was far more integral to Liverpool’s ferocious pressing game, and though he couldn’t match Salah’s goal output, no one in and around the club considered him less important. Then, nearly midway through a season that would be halted for three months because of Covid-19, with Liverpool cruising to a first title in 30 years, the tension boiled over.
Liverpool were leading Burnley 3-0 at Turf Moor and well on the way to three more points when Salah ignored a wide-open Mane and went for goal himself. When he failed to hit the target, Mane was irate, and his complaints continued even after he was substituted. By then, the two had become rivals in national team colours as well, with Senegal beating Egypt home and away in qualifying for AFCON in 2015.
But it was what happened after AFCON 2021 – postponed by a year and held in 2022 because of Covid – that would drive Mane out of Liverpool. Senegal and Egypt met in the final, a game decided by a penalty shootout. A match in which Mane struck the winning penalty even as a disconsolate Salah watched from the halfway line. The Egyptian King had been pencilled in to take the fifth penalty, only for Senegal to wrap things up before that.
That AFCON win was the first in Senegal’s history, and meant so much to Mane that he placed it above winning the Champions League with Liverpool. But when he returned to Anfield, there was absolutely no fanfare, no acknowledgement. It was as if the club bosses had decided they couldn’t afford to upset Salah, in a season where the club was going for a quadruple.
A few weeks later, with a place at the World Cup in Qatar on the line, Senegal prevailed again in a shootout. This time, Salah took the first kick, and missed. Mane scored again, as he would even more emphatically from distance in Tangier. The Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid that season would be their last game together. Having been reminded of his place in the pecking order, Mane walked away.
On Sunday, he will chase a second AFCON winner’s medal, against hosts Morocco. There’s a World Cup to look forward to as well, where he may cross paths with Salah if their teams make it to the knockout phase. But for now, Egypt’s wait for a record-extending eighth AFCON title goes on. It’s five times unlucky for Salah, whose tally of 11 AFCON goals is identical to Mane’s. But it’s the man who grew tired of playing in the Egyptian’s shadow that has scored the ones that matter.
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