Sadio Mané (d) and Mohamed Salah, in the match between Senegal and Egypt. /
Play off
The Liverpool striker scored the decisive maximum penalty, just like in the African Cup, and the Egyptian missed his penalty in the shootout, with continuous laser beams from the stands
As happened in the African Cup last February, when Senegal won the title on penalties against Egypt, Sadio Mané scored the last penalty that qualified his team for the World Cup in Qatar in the second leg of the tie disputed in Dakar. Mané scored the penalty that took Senegal to the World Cup and left Mohamed Salah out of the World Cup, who missed his in the shootout, after equality in regulation time and extra time, with a 1-0 victory for Senegal (goal by Boulaye Dia in the 4th minute), after Egypt won by the same result in the first leg in Cairo.
In the new Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, which packed with 50,000 spectators hours before the start of the match, the penalty shootout (3-1), with continuous laser beams launched from the stands, began with four errors, including those of both captains, Kalidou Koulibaly and then Mohamed Salah, but Liverpool’s Senegalese striker won the battle, resuming his heroics from last month’s Africa Cup of Nations final.
In Dakar, Idrissa Gana Gueye’s free kick was cleared in the wrong direction by Egyptian defender Ahmed Fattouh, directly into the path of Dia, who needed two attempts to score from close range to give Senegal the win that led to extra time. and later to penalties.
Senegal dominated the exchanges, although play was often interrupted by petty fouls and occasional jostling between eager players. It didn’t help that both coaches, Senegal’s Aliou Cissé and Egypt’s Carlos Queiroz, spent much of the match complaining to the referees from the touchline.
Senegal could have broken the tie in their favor in the 90th minute when Ismaila Sarr squandered a golden opportunity in the 82nd minute. Egypt’s best chance of the match fell to substitute Ahmed Zizo, who was given a chance by Mohamed Salah’s cross but headed wide.
In the penalty shootout the first four were wasted before Sarr put Senegal ahead and Bamba Dieng made it 2-1 before Edouard Mendy saved Mostafa Mohamed’s. That gave Mané the chance to be a hero again with Senegal’s fifth shot, which he fired straight into the middle to book his World Cup passport.
Senegal will now compete in their third World Cup after reaching the quarter-finals in 2002 and competing in Russia four years ago.
