Senegal were crowned African Champions after beating Egypt on penalties 4-3 in the finals of the 2021 Africa Nations Cup at Paul Biya Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon.
The game remained goalless after 120 minutes of play before Sadio Mane scored the winning spot-kick.
Egyptian stars Mohamed Abdelmonem and Mohanad Lasheen missed from the spot while Senegal’s Bouna Sarr also failed to convert his effort.
The result means Senegal are AFCON champions for the first time in their history. Egypt, meanwhile, remains on seven titles – a competition record.
Matooke Republic followed the 33rd edition of the competition and analyzed the good, the bad, and the ugly of the competition.
The good
Despite FIFA calling upon CAF not to hold the event that was pushed from 2021 to 2022 due to COVID-19, the African football governing body together with hosts Cameroon managed to successfully organize an excellent competition.
It was good to see The Lions of Teranga winning the championship for the first time. Senega has had near-misses that include losing two finals in 2002 and 2019. The Lions of Teranga are now truly in the category of ‘African Big Boys’ when it comes to football.
Similarly, it was good to see Coach Aliou Cissé finally smile. Cisse has been involved in all of Senegal’s final heartbreaks. In 2002, he was the captain when they lost the final against Cameroon. He was one of the players who missed a penalty during the shootout.
Again in 2019 as a coach, he lost the final against Algeria.
The real story of the group stage was the surprising progress of debutants Comoros and The Gambia, both advancing to the knockout despite being handed challenging draws.
Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga became the first woman to officiate an Africa Cup of Nations game when she took charge of the match between Zimbabwe and Guinea in Cameroon.
The bad
The Africa Cup of Nations match between Mali and Tunisia ended in bizarre circumstance as referee Janny Sikazwe of Zambia twice blew his whistle before the clock had hit 90 minutes. Players went off into the dressing room the second time, only for them to be ordered to return 25 minutes later before Tunisia refused.
Defending champions Algeria were sent packing in the group stages. They did not play like defending champions. Also, the four-time champion Ghana (in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982) had a very disappointing campaign at AFCON. The team never made it out of the group
The attendance in some games was embarrassing. In most games, so many empty seats were visible.
The decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) from the group stage was bound to lead to a number of controversial moments. Several decisions have been termed ‘soft’ by experienced experts and former footballers.
The ugly
Supporters were caught in a crush as they tried to get into the Yaounde Olembe stadium to watch hosts Cameroon against Comoros. The crash left at least eight people dead and more than 35 injured.
Lastly, CAF certainly has a lot of narratives to rewrite come 2023 when Ivory Coast will play host to others in Africa. No other people can’t wait till then than fans who hope to see their teams bounce back. But for now, we have only one champion: Senegal.