Liverpool FC sought to send a message of support to its Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, following his loss with the national team in the final of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations against Senegal, on Sunday night via penalties. The official Liverpool account posted in both Arabic and English on Twitter, sharing a picture of the "Pharaohs" star Mohamed Salah with the caption: "You should be proud of the great performance you delivered throughout this tournament, @MoSalah."
Mohamed Salah departed Cameroon on Monday, heading to England on a private jet to join the Reds, while feelings of sadness overshadowed the Egyptian superstar, dubbed "the King" in England, for not securing the Africa Cup of Nations title for Egypt for the eighth time in its history. The "Pharaohs" lost to Senegal 2-4 in the penalty shootout after the match ended in a goalless draw in both regular and extra time on Sunday evening at the Paul Biya Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Liverpool star Sadio Mané, who missed a penalty in the seventh minute, scored the decisive penalty after Mohamed Abdelmonem and Mohanad Lashin missed two penalties for Egypt. For the first time in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, a team resorted to extra time in four consecutive matches, as Egypt played 120 minutes in their previous three matches against Ivory Coast, Morocco, and Cameroon.
Senegal emerged victorious in the first crucial encounter out of three against Egypt, as they are set to meet in home-and-away matches in the final round of World Cup qualifiers in March. In addition to winning the championship cup, the Senegalese national football team received $5 million, the monetary prize for winning the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations, an increase of $500,000 from what was awarded to the champion of the previous edition. The runner-up receives $2.5 million. Each team that reached the semifinals received $2.2 million, an increase of $200,000 from what was given to their counterparts in the last edition hosted by Egypt in 2019.
