“Inshallah we will take revenge on Senegal"

They were beaten, but their best player didn’t want his teammates to be too depressed. Instead, Egypt captain Mohamed Salah gave a short but powerful motivational speech in the dressing room after a penalty shootout in the finals, in which Senegal won their first AFCON trophy. Egypt forward Salah was clearly upset after the loss and was seen having a cordial discussion with Mane and other Senegal players. Both teams showed a lot of respect for each other, but after the game, footage has emerged from the Egypt dressing room of a much more visceral address between the Egyptian players.

And with another Senegal – Egypt game coming up soon (World Cup African playoffs, with first leg in Cairo on 23 March), Liverpool forward took the upcoming match as the ideal motivational message.

"We played four matches all 120 minutes in about 12 days But it's in the past now, we have the games against them next month and inshallah we will take revenge on them" said Salah.

23:00 Burnley - Manchester United

The Liverpool forward was the best player in Egypt squad, and his leadership qualities have been proven throughout the tournament. Apart from this motivational speech, The Pharaohs have relied on their captain many times in these past days, and one of the memorable scenes has been the penalty taken by Sadio Mane in the finals of the AFCON. Before he became the hero in the penalty shootout, Mane also took the ball in the 7th minute of the match, but his shot was saved by Egyptian keeper, mainly thanks to his Liverpool teammate.

AFCON 2021 Team of the Tournament: Mendy on the line, Hakimi on the right, Mane, Salah and Aboubakar in attack

Just before the Senegalese captain was about to walk to the spot, Salah came over and told his keeper how Mane will shoot the penalty. Sadio knew what he was talking and approached both men. And Egypt keeper Mohamed Abu Gabal revealed the conversation.

"Manny told me that he would shoot the ball on the left side, but Salah replied to him saying ‘We'll see.. let's make him punish you’, and it was a smart and correct response from Salah. Indeed, Mane took the penalty in the area that Salah told me” Gabaski told “Al-Hekaya" program on MBC Egypt.

And Sadio Mane, who was precise in the final round of the shootout and became a hero in the end, came over to congratulate to Salah after the match.

“I told him that he remains a very great player and it’s a pleasure to play for the same club. I have so much respect for him and he gave everything for his country. Unfortunately, he didn’t win, but that doesn’t mean it’s over for him. I also told him that he still has many things to win, including the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. They have a young team so maybe they will win it one day” Mane said to beIN SPORTS via Metro .