The time for reunion has come. More than three and a half years after his departure from Liverpool, Sadio Mané reunites with Mohamed Salah this Wednesday (6 p.m.) in Tangier on the sidelines of the first CAN semi-final. Among the Reds, the duo who won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League a year later, piled up goals and trophies, forming one of the most formidable attacks of the last decade.
Salah wants to take his revenge
At 33, the Pharaoh intends to make this Moroccan parenthesis a success. Finalist of the 2017 and 2021 editions, the second highest Egyptian scorer in history dreams of a first title with his selection. Author of four goals in four matches since the start of the competition, “Mo” Salah is more ready than ever to lead his team to final victory. “He’s the best player in the competition,” said his attacking teammate Trezeguet during the pre-match press conference. “We saw him run and give himself for the team because he wants to win this CAN,” he added.
Facing Senegal, the Egyptians will feel the desire for revenge. During CAN 2021, played in Cameroon, they failed in the final, after a penalty shootout (4-2), against the Lions of Teranga then crowned for the first time in their history. A few weeks later, these same Senegalese outclassed them again on penalties, depriving them of the 2022 World Cup.
A smashing attacking duo in Liverpool
Arriving at Liverpool a season apart, the two wingers tormented Premier League defenses in their first year together, scoring half of the team’s league goals. A total alchemy also observed on European lawns this same season, ending with a defeat in the Champions League final against Real Madrid (3-1). In a fiery trio, formed with the Brazilian Roberto Firmino, the three attacking players finished the Champions League season with 10 goals each, finishing second in the ranking of the competition’s top scorers behind Cristiano Ronaldo (15 goals).
Together, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané played in three Champions League finals for a victory in 2019 against Tottenham (0-2) and scored close to 300 goals in five seasons together. A memorable duo which brought Liverpool back to the forefront and “made Africans proud”, according to coach Hossam Hassan, present at a press conference this afternoon on the sidelines of the semi-final.
An opinion welcomed by his Senegalese counterpart Pape Thiaw: “These are two world-class players who show extraordinary things. Sadio [Mané] is a monument like Salah is one in his country. We are African so we hope they continue to show the way.”
A mixed end to the adventure
Beyond their osmosis, the two players had a sometimes difficult relationship. In a long interview with France Football last year, Salah admitted the presence of “tension” between him and his Senegalese teammate.
Over the seasons, their duo has sometimes taken on the air of rivalry, sometimes bordering on a clash between the two men, as during a match won 3-0 against Burnley, during which the Egyptian’s behavior deeply annoyed Sadio Mané: “I was really angry because I thought he could have passed me. I reacted and everyone saw it,” said the current Al Nassr player, in the podcast of Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, last November.
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