Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were at the center of an AFCON clash after the Egyptian star fouled his former Liverpool teammate during the first half of the semi-final.
Mohamed Salah sparks a scuffle between the Senegal and Egypt benches with a controversial foul on Sadio Mane (Image: (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe))
Former Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane sparked heated scenes on the touchline during their AFCON semi-final encounter that led to devastating suspensions.
As the latter tried to escape the challenge, he was brought down by Salah and the Reds winger was furious at the decision.
The reaction was reflected on the bench, with both Senegal and Egypt’s coaches being separated in a scuffle.
Amid the chaos, Sunderland and Senegal’s Habib Diarra was shown a yellow card and will miss either the third-place match or the final depending on whether Senegal progresses due to his suspension.
Kalidou Koulibaly also faced a similar scenario after receiving a caution, but the Senegalese captain left the pitch immediately after the caution due to injury.
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The first 45 minutes of the semi-final between Egypt and Senegal were tense, with Mane certainly a threat but Salah remaining silent.
The 33-year-old had 40 touches in the first half, created two chances and made three passes into the final third. Salah, on the other hand, managed just 15 touches, with his most notable moment being a foul on Mane.
Although the two sides did not clash directly after the incident, it was clear that there was tension between them on the pitch, and there was no love lost between the two Liverpool legends.
Despite this, Salah and Mane were captured hugging each other and briefly exchanging words in the tunnel just before the clash between Egypt and Senegal.
In the final knock, Mane had the last laugh with a stunning strike from long range. Egypt was eliminated from the tournament.
Roberto Firmino, who has played between the two wingers for many years, recently opened up about their professional rivalry in his book ‘Si Señor: My Time at Liverpool’.
“I knew them well, probably better than anyone else. I was on the field, in the middle of them. I saw with my own eyes the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the frustration when one was angry at the other.”
Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were a great front three for Liverpool (Image: Liverpool Echo)
“I felt it. In that moment I was the link between them and the firefighters with my attacking play. For many, the disagreement between Sadio and Mo (against Burnley) was the first. For some, it was the first and the last.”
“But I knew this problem was brewing from the previous season, 2018-19. My instinct and duty was to defuse the situation between them. It was to pour water on the fire. Never pour gasoline on it.”
“They were never best friends. Each kept to himself. It was unusual to see them talking, but I don’t know if that had anything to do with the rivalry between Egypt and Senegal in African competitions.”
“I really don’t know. But they never stopped talking and never broke ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism. I never took sides. That’s why they love me. I always gave the ball to both. My preference was for the team to win.”
