Senegal Celebrate Maiden AFCON Triumph With Public Holiday

The Senegalese government declared Monday as a public holiday following the country’s maiden continental triumph at the 64-year-old Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament on Sunday.

Coach Aliou Cisse’s men made history seeing off Pharaohs of Egypt 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital.

Clinching their first-ever AFCON title was a breakthrough for the Teranga Lions after losing two finals in 2002 and 2019. This all-important victory has put the West African country in a celebratory mood with President Macky Sall celebrating the win during his official trip to Ethiopia.

The President, who participated at the African Union summit over the weekend, followed the game and is now scheduled to cut short his foreign trip to host the Aliou Cisse’s men in Dakar on Tuesday.

“Champions of Africa!!! What a game! What a team! You did it! A beautiful moment of football, a beautiful moment of communion and national pride. So proud of you! Congratulations to our heroes,” President Sall tweeted.

Champions d’Afrique !!! Quel match! Quelle équipe ! Vous l’avez fait! Beau moment de football, beau moment de communion et de fierté nationale. Tellement fiers de vous! Félicitations à nos héros !

— Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) February 6, 2022
Sadio Mane scored the winning penalty in the dramatic shoot-out after missing an initial attempt early in the game while Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved Mohanad Lasheen’s penalty.

The team’s success in Cameroon was capped with individual awards with Mane and Mendy scooping the Player of the Tournament and Goalkeeper of the Tournament prizes.

The capital city of Dakar celebrated the victory and the players also had a great night with Mendy and his teammates dancing through their hotel corridors and Mane showed a picture of the trophy on the bed with him. – With Goal.com reports