Self-assured Senegal eliminates Egypt, Mohamed Salah from Africa Cup of Nations

Fraught history yields a conservative approach

Senegal and Egypt are no strangers on the international stage. The two sides met in the AFCON final in 2022, then faced off months later in the final stages of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It was Senegal— led, again, by Sadio Mane — who emerged victorious from both encounters.

It was obvious from kickoff that Egypt remembered, and indeed feared, Senegal from those two occasions. Coach Hossam Hassan opted for a head-scratchingly conservative approach, focusing on a compact midfield structure and a near-impenetrable low defensive block. 

Small, under-resourced teams often use tactics like these to go toe-to-toe with strong opponents. It wasn't surprising to see them deployed on the AFCON stage. It was surprising, however, to see them deployed by Egypt, a team that is neither small nor under-resourced in the slightest. It was wild watching the winningest team in African history look so thoroughly spooked.

That's international soccer for you. Egypt, on its day, is capable of matching and even beating Senegal, but the weighty recent history between the two sides kept it from showing that. 

Egypt didn't lose this match on the field. It lost it inside its own head.

The end of the Mohamed Salah era?

Egypt is one of Africa's strongest teams, and striker Mohamed Salah is one of Africa's strongest players, but incredibly, the two haven't managed to show much strength together. Egypt and Salah have never won AFCON together, and with this result on the books, they may never manage it. 

Salah is 33 and nearing the end of his top-flight professional career. He's struggled in the Premier League with Liverpool this season and has fallen out of favor with coach Arne Slot. This AFCON run was supposed to be Salah's big breakout moment, his chance to prove to Liverpool (and himself) that he's still one of the world's finest strikers. It didn't quite shake out that way.

Was Salah brilliant in this AFCON tournament? Sure, in flashes. He scored a few key goals in the group stages and always seemed eager to support his teammates. But in this key semifinal against Senegal, Salah was all but absent. Actual goals? Zero. Expected goals? Zero. Shots on target? Zero. Shots, period? Zero. Salah didn't even manage to touch the ball inside Senegal's penalty box. He might as well have just stayed in Egypt's locker room.

At 33, Salah is a veteran, but certainly not a retiree. Plenty of older players have shown up for their national teams and shown up well. Lionel Messi was 35 when he led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022; Salah will be the same age when Egypt returns to AFCON in 2027.

We may see Salah at AFCON again. But after his performance in this semifinal, it's worth asking whether or not we should.

Senegal will face Morocco in the AFCON final in Rabat on Sunday, Jan. 18. It's Senegal's fourth appearance in an AFCON final; if it wins, it will take home just its second AFCON trophy in history.