Sadio Mane speaks out after destroying Mohamed Salah's AFCON dream

Sadio Mané Speaks Out After Destroying Mohamed Salah's AFCON Dream

The storied rivalry between Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah has defined key moments in African football, particularly at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where Mané has repeatedly overshadowed his former Liverpool teammate. Their tension, rooted in professionalism yet laced with competitiveness, peaked in high-stakes encounters that crushed Egypt's ambitions.[1]

Mané's defining blow came in the 2021 AFCON final at Stade d'Olembe in Yaoundé. With Senegal facing Egypt, the match ended goalless after extra time, leading to a penalty shootout. Mané scored the decisive penalty, securing Senegal's first-ever AFCON title and denying Salah, who had yet to shoot, his shot at glory. Salah watched helplessly as lasers distracted him in a later World Cup qualifier penalty against Senegal, where he fired over the bar—Mané converting again to qualify Senegal for Qatar.[1]

Club tensions simmered too. In August 2019 against Burnley, Mané fumed when Salah opted to shoot instead of pass, requiring physical restraint post-substitution. Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp dismissed it as "just football," but it hinted at deeper frustration with Salah's growing individualism.[1]

Salah later reflected to L'Equipe: "Yes, there was tension with Sadio, but we were professional until the end... Off the pitch, we weren't very close, but we always respected each other." Mané attributed incidents to their fierce competitiveness, though egos evolved as both matured.[1]

Senegal's dominance extends further: they beat Egypt in 2014 AFCON qualifiers, with Mané and Salah starring pre-Liverpool. Mané emerges as the superior AFCON performer, his clutch penalties etching him as Salah's nemesis in continent-shaping duels.[1]

This heated narrative underscores not just personal rivalry but Senegal's AFCON supremacy over Egypt's Pharaohs.

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