By Amaechi Agbo

Africa’s best football exploits in European Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah will battle for money and prestige today in the final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON in Cameroon, www.bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

The two Liverpool starmen will go head to head in the final after testing defeats in the same stage in previous two editions.

Salah led Egypt to the 2017 final where they lost 2-1 to champions, Cameroon. In 2019 edition, Mane led Senegal to the final against Algeria but their quest for a first continental glory ended in sorrow as they lost 1-0 to the Desert Foxes

On Sunday, February 6, 2022 at the 60, 000 capacity Olembe Stadium in Cameroon, both Africa Footballer of the Year winners will square up for the $5 million prize money and history.

The Terenga Lions and the Pharaohs are both chasing history in their own quests. Senegal is seeking to win their first ever AFCON trophy while Egypt are seeking to consolidate their trophy haul by winning a record 8 diadem.

CAF in January announced the tournament prize increase as champions will return home with prize money of $5 million fromm initial $4.5 won by Algeria in 2019

The competition’s runners-up will get $2.75 million in prize money, up from $2.5 million.

The prize monies for the semi-finalists and the quarter-finalists were also increased, with the total sum of the increase on all prize monies being $1.85 million.

CAF, in a statement, said the increase was in line with its commitment to rewarding merit performance and enhancing the status of the competition, which is now in its 33rd edition.

Quest For History And Prestige –

Senegal

After losing twice in the two final matches they played (2002 and 2019), Senegal are hoping for a “third time lucky” this time round.

The Teranga Lions had less complicated tests given the opponents’ road to the final. After beating Zimbabwe 1-0 and two goalless draws with Guinea and Malawi to top their Group, Sadio Mané’s teammates defeated Cape Verde 2-0, Equatorial Guinea 3-1 then Burkina Faso by the same score in the knockouts.

Once again they will rely on the vast experience of Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly among others as they seek their first AFCON trophy in Cameroon

Egypt

The Egyptians, seven times winner of the competition (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010) are hoping of an eighth star on their jersey, twelve years from their last glory.

After a loss in their opener to Nigeria, Egypt defeated Guinea Bissau and Sudan to go through the group stage. Since then, The Pharaohs managed to oust three big names needing three extra times and two penalty shootouts.

Neither Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, nor hosts Cameroon managed to stop the Pharaohs in their quest to reach the grand final, five years after their heartbreak in Gabon 2017 final.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah led by example in every game, and he will be looked to again to have his moment of lifting the title. Missing injured Mohamed Elshenawy, goalkeeper Mohamed Abu Gabal who produced shootout heroics against Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon will be once again the first line of the Pharaohs title quest.

Match Fixture

Date: 6 February 2022

Time: 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT)

Venue: Olembe Stadium, Yaoundé

Final – Senegal v Egypt