Not content with having (arguably) the best food on the continent, Senegal has now been crowned winner of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), beating Egypt on penalties at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The next AFCON is due to take place in the Ivory Coast in June and July next year.
Senegal has been the continent’s highest-ranked side for the past three years under coach Aliou Cisse. Go, Senegal!
Watch the joyful AFCON winners celebrations
A few highlights
“I am very emotional because the people of Senegal have wanted this trophy for 60 years.”
Aliou Cisse, Senegal coach
- Egypt had previously won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, the most in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations
- Senegal’s Teranga Lions won the championship for the first time
- Senegal had been through two previous final defeats – so the win here was particularly affecting
- Egypt manager Carlos Queiroz was forced to watch the game from the stand following a red card in the semi-final
- Sadio Mane scored the winning penalty, beating Liverpool teammate Mo Salah and his Egyptian Pharaohs in the penalty shootout.
- Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was the hero for Senegal, saving substitute Mohanad Lasheen’s penalty before Mane’s ‘redemption’ was complete (his seventh-minute penalty was saved by Egypt’s Gabaski)
The group winners
Group A (Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ethiopia): Cameroon
Group B (Senegal, Guinea, Malawi, Zimbabwe): Senegal
Group C (Morocco, Gabon, Comoros, Ghana): Morocco
Group D (Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau): Nigeria
Group E (Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Algeria): Ivory Coast
Group F ( Mali, Gambia, Tunisia, Mauritania): Mali and Gambia
And don’t forget the teams’ magnificent names – whose flag were you flying?
Cameroon – Indomitable Lions
Burkina Faso – The Stallions
Cape Verde – Blue Sharks
Ethiopia – Walia Ibex
Senegal – Teranga Lions
Zimbabwe – The Warriors
Guinea – Syli Nationale (National Elephants)
Malawi – The Flames
Morocco – The Atlas Lions
Ghana – The Black Stars
Gabon – The Panthers
Comoros – The Coelacanths
Egypt – The Pharaohs
Nigeria – Super Eagles
Sudan – Falcons of Jediane
Guinea-Bissau – Djurtus
Algeria – The Fennec Foxes
Ivory Coast – The Elephants
Sierra Leone – Leone Stars
Equatorial Guinea – Nzalang Nacional (National Thunder)
Tunisia – Carthage Eagles
Mali – The Eagles
The Gambia – The Scorpions
Mauritania – Lions of Chinguetti
Which AFCON team were you rooting for? What were your highlights of the entire tournament? Let us know in the comments!
