Liverpool’s star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will meet in the Africa Cup of Nations final. After Senegal beat Burkina Faso 3-1 on Wednesday, Egypt won on penalties (3-1) against the tournament’s hosts Cameroon to progress.
Salah didn’t even need to take a penalty in the shootout, as three of Cameroon’s four takers failed to score. Egypt qualified and got their revenge on Cameroon, the team that beat them in the AFCON final in 2017. If they win this year’s final, the Pharaohs will extend their continental record to eight titles. Egypt is already the most successful team in AFCON history with seven wins, two more than second-place Cameroon. Senegal has never won the competition, but they played the final in 2019, losing against Algeria.
It was heartbreak for Cameroon as this missed penalty from Clinton Njié saw Egypt progress to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, as the hosts bow out in the semi-finals. pic.twitter.com/EhD8J4E2Dq
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 3, 2022
AFCON 2021 final: the odds battle
The Egypt v Senegal clash on Sunday is just the first episode in a torrid trilogy to follow. The two national teams will also meet later this year in a two-legged playoff to decide one of the African teams to participate in the Qatar World Cup.
Senegal is the bookies’ favorite to win the final in normal time. They are at +115 to triumph after 90 minutes, with Egypt at +300 and a draw at +180.
Both at +400, a Senegal 1-0 win and 0-0 draw are the two likeliest results over 90 minutes. A 1-0 win for Egypt is now at +700, while a 2-0 victory stands at a huge +1600.
Influenced by the trend set in the majority of games at this year’s tournament, a high number of goals is considered unlikely by the bookies. A bet on at least 3 goals scored in normal time is now at +220, while going for at least two goals in the first half returns +325.
Both teams to score over 90 minutes is at +140.
