A remarkable match in Senegal saw what essentially was a replay of the Africa Cup of Nations final. Much as in that game, a penalty shootout was needed to separate the two sides, with Senegal once again victorious from 12 yards.
An own goal from Saliou Ciss, four minutes in, was enough for Egypt to win the first leg, and he was once again involved four minutes into this game. He won a free kick on the left which was lifted into the area. A disastrous defensive header saw the ball find Senegal's Boulaye Dia, center of the goal, who poked it into the back of the net.
From then on, the game was a cagey, scrappy affair. Fouls and injuries broke up much of the game, with Egyptian players regularly needing treatment. The visitors were forced into two substitutions in the first half. Rare moments of quality lit up the game, but it quickly fell into a rhythm of Senegal trying to attack and Egypt looking to counter. This continued for much of normal time.
Senegal racked up the shot count, but failed to create great chances, while Zizo (Ahmed Sayed) came off the bench for Egypt and had two chances to score, but failed to convert either of them. Mohamed Salah had a quiet game while Sadio Mane, regularly dropping deeper from a No. 10 position, was more influential as the game wore on.
Egypt were kept in the game by Mohammed El Shenawy, who made numerous saves to keep the hosts out in the first half of extra time, with the standout being a dive across his line to prevent a certain goal from Ismaila Sarr. The second half of extra time had less tempo, as players suffered from cramps and the Egyptians looked happy to settle for penalties, despite the result last time.
So, after being inseparable over 210 minutes of football, they were separated from 12 yards. In a remarkable turn of events, the first four penalties were all failures: Koulibaly hit the bar, before Salah blazed his attempt over. Ciss's penalty was saved, before Zizo's penalty rolled wide of the upright. Ismaila Sarr finally managed to find the back of the net, with El Shenawy diving the wrong way. El Solia levelled with an exceptional finish, off the bar.
Senegal had the advantage, with Mostafa Mohamed's penalty saved by Mendy, after Bamba Dieng converted. It Sadio Mane scored, Senegal would win the shootout. He did just that, smashing the ball into the back of the net. Flares were lit in the stands as the fans rushed the pitch, celebrating with the players, who will be traveling to Qatar in November. For the Egyptian side, who offered very little throughout the game, it was a replay of the heartbreak they suffered just over a month ago.
MORE: Ranking the top African football players in the world
Senegal vs. Egypt final scored
| 1H | 2H | ET | Final | PKs | |
| Senegal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Goals:
SEN — Dia — 4th min.
(All times Eastern)
Final: Senegal 1 - 0 Egypt (pen. 3-1)
3-1: Sadio Mane steps up to send Senegal through. He does it! He fires down the middle, and Senegal have won the penalty shootout!
2-1: Mostafa Mohamed's penalty is low, and too central. Mendy saves.
2-1: Bamba Dieng converts, high into one corner, with the 'keeper diving the opposite direction.
1-1: El Solia drives the ball high, to Mendy's right. It's in the top corner, off the bar, down, and in.
1-0: Finally, a penalty converted. Ismaila Sarr is the man. He fires to the 'keeper's right, El Shenawy dives the wrong way.
0-0: Zizo, who has had multiple chances to score today, fails to convert from the spot. He tries a hop before the penalty, but he fires past the 'keeper's left post.
0-0: Still 0-0! Ciss takes the penalty, low to the 'keeper's right, but he guesses the right way and it's a comfortable save in the end.
0-0: A dreadful penalty from Salah brings a roar from the home supporters! He blazes way, way over, and after a penalty apiece we're level.
0-0: Koulibaly misses! He goes to the 'keeper's right, but it cannons back off the underside of the bar!
3:33 p.m.: Senegal will take the first penalty. Koulibaly steps up.
3:40 p.m.: There's another light show as the teams prepare for penalties, but the atmosphere really can't get any hotter. The Senegalese team huddle together in prayer, before the coaching staff return to the bench. The teams are ready.
End of Extra Time: The finishes 1-1 on aggregate. Once again, Senegal and Egypt can't be separated, and a penalty shootout will decide who travels to Qatar.
122nd min: Fittingly, the allotted time finishes with the stretcher bearers running onto the pitch to see to an Egyptian player.
120th min: So far, Senegal have failed to apply the same pressure that they did in the first half of extra time. Egypt win a free kick in the home team's half as two minutes of added time are signalled.
116th min: As is often the case in extra time, the number of stoppages has only increased. A Senegal player is down with cramp, while an Egyptian player looks to be down, after being fallen on top of by Pape Sarr. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané spend the break having a chat.
113th min: El Shenawy has been happy to spend as much time as he can on his goal kicks. Egypt have a man down, and the hardest worked stretcher bearers in football are back in action. Koulibaly and Salah have a disagreement off the ball, but nothing comes of it.
110th min: Egypt are still holding firm, but at moment it's one way traffic. Senegal are looking to speed things up every chance they get, the visitors are happy to do just the opposite.
107th min: Senegal have continued as they left off. Pape Gueye fires at goal from the edge of the area, but his shot flashes wide. In truth, he never really had control of the shot.
Halftime (Extra Time): Both teams take on fluid and have a brief coaching session after the first 15 minutes. There's a light show going on in the stadium, but this match hasn't been lacking in atmosphere. The home fans are waving their phone lights, the atmosphere is almost oppressive. The lights are back on now, and the teams line up to kick off.
104th min: El Shenawy is earning his keep today. Senegal have a free kick deep and work it out wide before chipping it into the area. It falls to Cisse, who spins and fires towards goal. The shot surprises the 'keeper, but he gets down quickly to keep it out. The ball bobbles loose and Cisse is the first to it, prodding the ball towards goal, but El Shenawy is once again in place to block the danger.
101st min: Egypt see a little more of the ball, and find gaps as they disrupt Senegal in midfield, but are struggling to fashion chances when they do so.
97th min: Two corners, two chances. Idrissa Gueye's delivery is flicked on to Cisse, and the centre back heads towards goal, forcing an acrobatic save from El Shenawy, who is forced to tip the ball over. Senegal have another corner, this time the header is straight at the 'keeper, who holds onto it. Moments later, Senegal counter and Mané fires the ball across goal, it goes all the way through to Ismaila Sarr, who looks certain to score! However, El Shenawy dices across his goal and makes himself big, somehow managing to keep it out on the line. Egypt under pressure here.
93rd min: Cheikhou Kouyate came on for Nampalys Mendy towards the end of the second half, while Boulaye Dia was replaced by Pape Gueye. Senegal have started extra time the stronger, and have a corner kick from the left.
Fulltime: Senegal 1, Egypt 0
That's the end of the 90 minutes! Like the first leg, a goal for the home team after four minutes is all the teams could muster. We've got thirty minutes of extra time ahead of us. The teams already look tired, and it could be a case of who keeps their concentration.
92nd min: The corner is just over Cisse's head, and Ismaila puts the ball back into the area. Cisse rises to meet it at the far post, but can't get enough on his header, and can't direct it back towards the goal.
91st min: Senegal win a corner, and Sadio Mané plays cheerleaders as he walks towards the corner flag.
87th min: Aliou Cissé is booked on the sideline after complaining about the referee's decisions. There are a lot of tired passes being made at the moment.
83rd min: A gilt edged chance for Ismaila Sarr. He's played in by Sadio Mané, and is through on goal. He opens his body up and attempts to place the ball in the bottom corner, but it curls wide of the far post.
77th min: Not for the first time in this half, Koulibaly tries to clear the ball when he could let it through to his goalkeeper. This time he clears the ball for a corner, although it comes to nothing. It could be that the noise in the stadium means he can't hear Mendy's shouts. Zizo has a good chance from the left, opens up his right foot, but fails to hit the target.
71st min: Almost an instant impact for Zizo. Salah has the ball on the right and lifts a dream ball into the area. Zizo, running in from the left, rises and gets his head to it. From 12 yards out, he heads just wide, relatively unmarked.
70th min: Bouna Sarr is off for Bamba Dieng, while Trezuget and Elneny are off for Zizo and Dunga.
66th min: Gueye takes the free kick, but it's a curling effort that never threatens to end up the right side of El Shenawy's crossbar.
64th min: Mané wins a free kick on the edge of the D as he drives forwards with the ball before being scythed down in a Ibrahim — El Solia sandwich.
62nd min: When football has been able to take place, Egypt have shown more in the second half than they managed in the first. A couple of times they've countered with speed but not had the right weight on the final ball. The more the visitors open up, the more space there is for Senegal's forwards to attack.
58th min: Mustapha Ghorbal, the referee, is doing well to keep a handle on things. Barely two minutes pass in this game without some kind of flash point boiling over. There's another melee, which the official defuses.
53rd min: It's a bit messy. Salah is pushed around, someone else is slapped, Koulibaly gets told off. It's just a warning from the man in the middle. Egypt have a free kick on the left, Trezuget to take, it's headed clear. Senegal break. Dia does well to get into the area and, after sharp footwork, goes down as El Shenawy rushes out of his goal. Senegal want a penalty, the referee isn't having it.
51st min: As soon as I type that, Edouard Mendy has to come out to smother well by his right hand post as Trezuget runs in behind. Another Egyptian player is down, on the edge of the area. The referee calls for the stretcher, and VAR is reviewing for a possible red card.
49th min: We're back underway, and it's a slightly more subdued start to the second half. Egypt have won the ball in midfield a couple of times, but their counter attacks haven't clicked together. Edouard Mendy hasn't really had anything to do so far in the game.
Halftime: Senegal 1, Egypt 0
After five minutes of injury time, it's still 1-0 to the hosts. A breathless first half has seen lots of energy, lots of aggression, lots of injuries, and not much goalmouth action.
45th min: Senegal attack again, playing through Egypt with ease as the visitors try and press high up. Ashour has to send the ball over his own crossbar to cut out Bouna Sarr's driven cross.
44th min: Senegal play a sweeping counter. Mané sends Ismaila Sarr down the left, he finds the overlapping runner, and the resulting cross is out for a corner. Nothing comes from the set piece, but Senegal manage to string a couple of moves together.
42nd min: This time Nampalys Mendy shoots from distance. It's wide, but not far wide, and the closest either has gone to a goal for a while.
38th min: Gueye is booked for a challenge on Marmoush, and the Egyptian forward is down. The stretcher bearers are on once again.
35th min: Rabia picks up the first booking of the game, for a heavy challenge on Ismaila Sarr. He goes down himself, and a stretcher is on for him. If things continue in this vein, the stretcher bearers may end up covering more ground than anyone else. Rabia is off for Ashour.
32nd min: Senegal break forward after the ball is given away by Elneny, but it comes to nothing. Egypt have had a number of players go down with injury in the first half hour, meaning the game hasn't really found a rhythm so far.
29th min: El Shenawy has to get down low as Idrissa Gueye fires a dipping shot towards goal from distance, on the left hand side. The Egyptian 'keeper palms it wide, to his left. Gaber has gone off with an injury, replaced by Ashraf.
23rd min: The fouls have slowed down, and a football match has begun. Little goalmouth action to report, but Senegal are seeing more of the ball. Mané is dropping deep well to try and link play.
17th min: There's a break in play after an Egyptian player takes a ball to the face, and play restarts with a drop ball.
16th min: The visitors are left to scramble in their penalty area as Senegal attack down the right. Play stops after El Shenawy catches a cross and holds onto it. He's lying just outside his left hand post when a bottle of water is thrown from the crowd and lands next to his calf. The referee makes a note of it, before suggesting he gets up and plays on. The scrappy nature of the game continues.
11st min: El Fotouh is hacked down in front of the Egyptian coaching staff, who are once again on their feet. The game has been scrappy so far, and the referee makes it clear to the Senegalese players that he's going to start punishing fouls.
8th min: The fourth official is having a job keeping Carlos Queiroz and Aliou Cisse inside their technical areas. Each time he gets one back in their box, the other has wandered over. The referee comes over to help. Meanwhile, on the pitch, there have been a number of fouls since the goal, and the ball has spent more time out of play than it has in play.
4th min: GOAL!
They went conceded after four in the first leg, they've scored after four in the second leg! The free kick from the left is finally taken, and fired towards the far post. The defensive headed is terrible, and lands back in the centre of goal. Dia, lurking just outside the six yard box pokes the ball home.
1st min: It's an aggressive start from the hosts, who win an early free kick, just outside the area, on the left hand side, following a mistimed tackle by Gaber.
1:00 p.m.: It's time for the anthems, and the Egyptian national anthem is completely inaudible above the noise of the crowd. As you might expect, there's no such problem for the home team.
12:57 p.m.: The officials lead the teams out, and the atmosphere at the brand new stadium is absolutely buzzing.
12:47 p.m.: Egypt are a tough nut to crack, but they're missing three potential centre backs in Hegazy, Abdelmonem, and El Wensh, and Senegal will be looking to capialise on that.
12:40 p.m.: Kickoff is only twenty minutes away now. The home side will be relying on the crowd to give them the edge in what is sure to be a strongly contested affair.
12:00 p.m.: With the tie poised at 1-0 heading into the second leg, it's an intriguing challenge for both managers. Senegal need to score, while a second goal early on could see the visitors kill off the tie, but neither side can afford to be generous at the back.
𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐓 🇪🇬🇸🇳#WorldCup | #WCQ | @Fsfofficielle | @EFA pic.twitter.com/HeJa90OPHP
— CAF (@CAF_Online) March 29, 2022
Senegal vs. Egypt lineups
Abdou Diallo misses the game having suffered an injury in the first half of the first leg, and Pape Abou Cisse replaces him in the starting lineup. Dia gets the nod up front, with Mané possibly taking up a central role.
Senegal lineup (4-3-3): Mendy (GK) - B. Sarr, Koulibaly, Cisse, Ciss - Mendy, I. Gueye — Sabaly, Mané, I. Sarr - Dia
Senegal subs (12): Balde, Ballo-Toure, Diallo, Diedhiou, Dieng, Faty, P. Gueye, Kamara, Kouyate, Loum, Name, P. Sarr
Rabia and Ibrahim are the central defensive partnership for Egypt, with Ibrahim coming in for Mohamed Abdelmonem, who went off in the first leg. Forward Omar Marmoush has been pushing for a start recently, and gets the nod today.
Egypt lineup (4-3-3): El Shenawy (GK) - Gaber, Rabia, Ibrahim, El Fotouh - Fathi, Elneny, El Solia - Salah, Marmoush, Trezeguet
Egypt subs (12): Afsha, Alaa, Ashour, Ashraf, Dunga, Gabaski, Hamdi, Kamal, Mossad, Mostafa Mohamed, Sohbi, Zizo
MORE: AFCON 2022 top goal scorers