Senegal vs Egypt Afcon final ratings: Mane 8, Mendy 6; Salah 7, Gabaski 9

Senegal win first Africa Cup of Nations title after prevailing 4-2 in penalty shootout

SENEGAL RATINGS: Edouard Mendy 6 - Called into action against Salah late in first half but was caught in no man’s land with a cross in the second, fortunately seeing the ball headed wide. AFP

Bouna Sarr 7 - His pace attacking the right flank proved a problem for Egypt. The wing-back was unlucky with some of his crosses that weren’t converted. A poor penalty was saved too easily by Gabaski. AFP

Kalidou Koulibaly 8 - Used his experience to position smartly against counter-attacks, while commanding the Senegal backline who displayed impressive synergy. AP Photo

Abdou Diallo 8 - The Paris Saint-Germain centre-back used his pace to prevent Egypt attacks and he was quick to clear danger. Dominant in the air. AFP

Saliou Ciss 8 - Was a threat throughout with his pace causing havoc when overlapping Sadio Mane. The 32-year-old’s pace was too much for the Egyptian defence in the opening minutes, winning a penalty as he was taken down inside the box. AP Photo

Cheikhou Kouyate 6 - Made some good defensive plays but rarely involved in attack. Nampalys Mendy 6 - Rarely troubled in defensive areas as the Leicester City man made sure it was difficult to attack through the middle. AFP

Nampalys Mendy 6 - Rarely troubled in defensive areas as the Leicester City man made sure it was difficult to attack through the middle. AP Photo

Ismaila Sarr 7 - Unlucky not to pick up an assist with neat trickery on the right flank and two well delivered crosses, though he could have taken a little bit off the power to give Mane a chance at the backpost. AFP

Idrissa Gueye 7 - While the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was deployed further forward for Senegal, he often slipped back into his natural defensive habitat, breaking up a number of Egypt attacks. AFP

Sadio Mane 8 - Missed a penalty early-on, but dispatched a penalty in he shootout with the weight of his nation on his shoulders. AFP

Famara Diedhiou 6 - Found it difficult to trouble the defence while he was on and was eventually withdrawn by Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse. AFP

SUB: Pape Gueye (Kouyate 66) 6 - Confident on the ball and kept the play ticking over for Senegal, adding a layer of control to the midfield. AP Photo

SUB: Bamba Dieng (Diedhiou 77) - Had his first real chance in extra time but didn’t get the right contact with a defender pressuring him from behind. Unlucky with a swerving effort from range that forced a difficult save. AFP

SUB: Boulaye Dia (Sarr 77) - On for Sarr close to full time but didn’t get many touches. AFP

EGYPT RATINGS: Gabaski 9 - The Egypt goalkeeper has been one of the standout players of the tournament, and that was no different in Sunday’s final with a saved penalty against Sadio Mane. Gabaski looked sharp and was quick to get down to incoming shots, dealing with situations with confidence. EPA

Ahmed Fatouh 8 - Battled fearlessly throughout the entire 120 minutes with his intensity matching the occasion, and he was often the Egypt defender to clear the danger. Reuters

Mahmoud Hamdi 7 - Good interventions to stop a cross that looked like it was heading to a dangerous area. Kept Senegal’s attacking stars quiet. AFP

Mohamed Abdelmonem 7 - The centre-back produced some good pieces of defending throughout the game, and he made up for a lapse of concentration that conceded a penalty in the opening minutes. EPA

Emam Ashour 7 - A solid defensive game from the full-back who contributed going forward as well as being assured at the back. AFP

Amr Soleya 6 - Didn’t make as much impact as he would have liked going forward. Replaced just before the hour-mark. EPA

Hamdi Fathi 6 - Rarely gave away the ball and showed a good range of passing. AFP

Mohamed Elneny 6 - Kept things simple and positioned astutely to prevent attacks building up in central areas. Reuters

Omar Marmoush 5 - Simply not involved enough. The forward found it difficult to make space and had to keep a keen eye on Senegal’s wingbacks. AP Photo

Mostafa Mohamed 5 - A similar story to Marmoush, but Mostafa Mohamed did isolate Diallo and Koulibaly at times which allowed space for Mohamed Salah to try and work some magic. AFP

Mohamed Salah 7 - Drifted in and out of the game, but the Liverpool star did look dangerous when he had the ball, weaving in between defenders and getting a shot off towards goal whenever he could. AP Photo

SUB: Trezeguet (Soleya 59) 6 - The pacey winger is normally a problem for any team but he seemed to be countered out by a fast Senegal defensive line. Looked tired in extra time. Reuters

SUB: Zizo (Marmoush 59) 6 - Egypt seemed to lose the ball more often than not when Zizo had possession, though he did work hard to help out his defence. Scored his penalty in emphatic fashion. AFP

SUB: Marwan Hamdi (Mohamed 59) 6 - Had to do better with his header that was unchallenged, instead sending it wide of Mendy’s goal. AFP

SUB: Mohanad Lasheen (Fathi 99) - On for the final stage of extra time but missed the decisive penalty in the shootout. AP Photo

Sadio Mane scored the winning spot-kick as Senegal claimed a first Africa Cup of Nations title with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over seven-time winners Egypt following a 0-0 draw in the decider in Yaounde on Sunday.

The final at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde was billed as a battle between Liverpool stars Mane and Mohamed Salah, but it was a battle of attrition.

Mane had missed an early penalty in the game but stepped up to make history for the west African nation, and banish the memories of their 2019 failure when they lost the final to Algeria.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved from Mohanad Lasheen in the shootout to allow Mane the chance to seal the win and gain just reward for Senegal, who had been by far the better side in the final but spurned numerous opportunities to win the game.

Egypt had their goalkeeper Mohamed Abo Gabal to thank for getting them into the shootout as he was outstanding in keeping Senegal at bay in what was the fourth time in as many games they had played extra time in energy-sapping conditions at the Stade d'Olembe.