The 2021 AFCON ended as Senegal won an ‘intense’ final against the Pharaohs.
Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zeidan reacted to Senegal’s victory in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Following a goalless draw after 120 minutes, the Lions of Teranga defeated their opponents in the penalty shootouts to win the competition for the first time in their history. Liverpool star Sadio Mane scored Senegal’s last penalty to win the match after Edouard Mendy saved Egypt’s fourth spot-kick.
Zidane shared a photo of Senegal’s celebration with the trophy on his Instagram page. The former Real Madrid boss wrote in the caption: “120 intense minutes of football and fair play,
“Congratulations to Senegal and congratulations to Egypt for their performance.”
Egypt had the chance to win the competition for the eighth time. However, Mohamed Salah and co failed to pass their final test of the tournament.
In an interview after the game, the Pharaohs’ assistant coach Diyaa El-Sayed praised Egypt’s form during the tournament.
He said: “This Egypt team have a bright future,
“Although we were determined to go right to the end, this [tournament] is still some kind of success for us.”
Egypt will have to face Senegal again in March. The two sides will battle it out for a spot in the next year’s World Cup.
El-Sayed added: “We’ll continue going until we secure World Cup qualification. We want to thank God that Egypt have a strong team in place, that the country are proud of them, and the next steps will be better for us.”
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