Senegal are AFCON champions at last - Africa's heavyweights no longer underachievers

Senegal are something of a paradox in African football. Many a fine player has pulled on the shirt of the Teranga Lions, meaning they are often seen as a strong representative of African football.

Which makes it all the more amazing that, until 2022, they had never once won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Luck – or a lack of it – has indeed played a part in this. But it is still mind-boggling for fans outside the continent.

Which made their AFCON 2022 final win over Egypt all the sweeter. Egypt are the opposite in this regard; they have won the AFCON trophy a record seven times, more than any other team.

So when the final for the tournament was decided, it was always going to be an interesting one. The pragmatic Egyptians were gunning for a record eighth title, whereas the free-flowing Senegalese stars were looking to put years of heartbreak behind them.

In the end, it was Senegal who emerged victorious after a penalty shootout; Egypt, who had won two penalty shootouts in the tournament, were finally beaten.

It is tempting to say the better team won. Egypt, after all, adopted a negative and one-note style of play throughout the tournament.

They became better known for kicking the ball out of play and time-wasting than their football. The same, however, cannot be said about Senegal.

The Lions struggled a bit in the group stages but scored 8 goals in the knockout stages. Led by the talismanic Sadio Mane, Senegal were a team transformed.

But a football triumph is nothing without a little drama, as the Senegalese learnt in the AFCON final.

It’s worth noting that for Senegal, the journey to become first-time AFCON champions was a long one.

How Senegal held their nerve to end decades of heartbreak

They first made the tournament in 1965 but were eliminated in the group stage – but only due to conceding more goals than hosts Tunisia.

In 1992, they hosted the tournament but lost out in the quarters to Cameroon. And things would get even worse in 2002.

They made the final but lost on penalties when Aliou Cisse – their current manager – missed the decisive spot kick.

In 2017, another penalty shootout against Cameroon – this time in the quarters – results in elimination, with Sadio Mane missing this time.

And those memories would have doubtless haunted Mane even more after his penalty miss in regulation time.

Mane’s record from the spot is actually pretty poor, so him offering to take one in the final was a massive move. And one that did not pay off.

Egypt were proving tough to break down and would have fancied their chances on penalties. But for once, luck favoured the Lions.

Mohamed Abdelmonem sent Edouard Mendy the wrong way, but his shot hit the inside of the post and deflected out. Immediately this was cancelled out as Bouna Sarr’s effort was saved by Abou Gabal.

But Mendy saved Mohanad Lasheen’s shot and suddenly Mane had the chance to win the match. As mentioned earlier, his record from the spot is iffy at best.

But the winger hit a firm shot low to the left and despite Mohamed Abougabal guessing right, he was unable to prevent the shot from going in.

How much does it mean to the country? Well, coach Cisse summed it up best after the game.

“From independence to now, we never had a star on our shirt… and now we have the first one.

“We deserved it, and when you consider the match in its entirety, and I never doubted.”