Football fans are turning their attention to the "Olympic" stadium in Cameroon on Sunday to watch the Africa Cup of Nations final between the Egyptian national team and their Senegalese counterparts, with the Arab audience hoping for the "Pharaohs" to secure their eighth star. This article reviews the participation of both teams in the "AFCON" and the results of matches that brought together the "Lions of Teranga" and the "Pharaohs."
**History of Encounters**
There have been 13 matches between Egypt and Senegal prior to the "match on Sunday," with the "Pharaohs" winning 7 times, Senegal 4 times, and 2 matches ending in draws. In terms of the "AFCON," the two teams faced each other in 4 matches, with each team winning 2 matches.
The first encounter took place during the 1986 edition of "AFCON," hosted by Egypt, where the Senegalese team won 1-0. The two teams met again in the 2000 edition during the group stage, with "Pharaohs" winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from captain Hossam Hassan.
In 2002, they faced each other again in the group stage, and this time "Lions of Teranga" clinched victory with a 1-0 scoreline. The last encounter in the AFCON was during the semi-finals in 2006, where Egypt won 2-1, with goals from Ahmed Hassan and Amr Zaki, after the equalizer from Mamadou Niang.
The teams have met in AFCON qualifiers 4 times as well, with Egypt winning once, losing twice, and drawing once. Their first encounter in the qualifiers was in 1988, which ended in a 0-0 draw, with Egypt winning 2-0 in the Cairo match, with goals from Hossam Imam and Hadi Khashaba.
The latest matches between the two teams occurred during the 2015 AFCON qualifiers, where the "Lions of Teranga" won both matches, 2-0 and 1-0, respectively. They also faced each other in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, ending the first leg in a 0-0 draw before Egypt won the second leg in Cairo 1-0 with a goal from Ahmed Hossam "Mido."
They also met during the African Games in 1987, where Egypt fielded an Olympic squad and won 1-0 due to a goal from Ayman Younis.
**Significant History**
In the current "AFCON" edition in Cameroon, Egypt participates for the 25th time (a record), while Senegal's participation marks the 15th. The Egyptian team is the most successful in the African title with 7 stars, and they have reached the final match 10 times, hoping this current final will witness them winning their eighth title.
Egypt won the "AFCON" in the years 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, and 2010, while finishing as runners-up in 1962 against Ethiopia and 2017 against Cameroon.
On the other hand, Senegal has appeared in the AFCON final only twice: first in 2002, losing to Cameroon, and again in 2019, losing to Algeria. Currently, the team, ranked highest in the FIFA African national team rankings, seeks to secure its first-ever title against Egypt on Sunday.
Senegalese football experienced significant progress at the beginning of the current century, especially with the leadership of French coach Bruno Metsu, who guided them to the World Cup 2002 in South Korea and Japan, where they made it to the quarter-finals, becoming the second African team to reach this stage after Cameroon in 1990.
With the increase in professional players, Senegal's performance has significantly improved, allowing them to reach the AFCON final twice in a row. Meanwhile, Portuguese Carlos Queiroz has managed to remind everyone of the "golden generation" of the Egyptian team under Hassan Shehata after the remarkable performance of the "Pharaohs" in the African tournament in Cameroon, with hopes of reclaiming the title that has been absent from their cabinets since their historic three consecutive wins in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
