Édouard Mendy’s Senegal beaten by Egypt in first leg of CAF World Cup qualifiers

Senegal’s emotional AFCON win over Egypt in the competition’s final match last month, with the Lions winning the tournament for the first time in their history on penalties, was a sight to see. Central in their winning campaign was Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, with key interventions including a penalty save in the final to lift the AFCON trophy at the end of their journey in Cameroon.

However, in the rematch between Senegal and Egypt yesterday — this time for CAF World Cup qualifiers — Mendy was unable to work out the same “magic” of yore. On Egypt’s first chance at goal via Mohamed Salah, Mendy was able to close down the Liverpool attacker’s angle at goal just enough to force a hit at the post. But on the rebound, Senegalese defender Saliou Ciss was an unwilling provider of a body to score the sole goal in the match.

Ciss’ own goal was what Egypt needed to play defence for most of the match, with Senegal taking the initiative at Cairo International Stadium to level the match. Despite the best efforts from Sadio Mané and co., they failed to beat shot-stopper Mohamed El-Shenawy.

The return game will be played on Tuesday, March 29th, at Stade du Sénégal. Winners will qualify for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year.