YAOUNDE: The biggest stars of African football are on course to meet in their continent’s biggest game.

Mohamed Salah’s Egypt and Sadio Mane’s Senegal reached the African Cup of Nations semifinals on Sunday. One more win for both teams will see the Liverpool pair meet in the final.

Salah scored the equaliser and created the winner to inspire Egypt’s comeback to beat Morocco 2-1 after extra time in the day’s first quarter-final.

Mane set up Famara Diedhiou for Senegal’s opener in a 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea later at the same Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

Substitutes Cheikhou Kouyate and Ismaila Sarr finished off Equatorial Guinea, who had drawn level through Jannick Buyla a few minutes after having a penalty awarded and then taken away through a VAR check.

Egypt progressed to a semi-final game against tournament host Cameroon, a repeat of the 2017 final that Cameroon won. That game on Thursday will also be a clash between the two most successful sides in African Cup history with 12 titles between them.

Senegal play Burkina Faso in the first semi-final on Wednesday, when Mane’s team will be aiming to make a second straight final. Senegal hope to finally win one this year to get rid of their unwanted label as the best team to never win an African title at the Olembe Stadium, which was given the green light to host the final after eight people died in a crush there a week ago.

The Confederation of African Football gave the stadium the go ahead to host the second semi-final between the hosts and Egypt, and the final on Feb 6 after lifting the temporary suspension of the venue where eight died, including a child, on Jan 24.

The disaster happened prior to last Monday’s last-16 tie between hosts Cameroon and the Comoros, when supporters were caught in a crush at the south entrance gate of the stadium. Thirty eight people were also injured in the disaster.

Cameroon’s sports minister on Friday blamed a “reckless decision” by security forces to open the closed gate for the tragedy and announced a raft of measures aimed at ensuring that the Olembe Stadium could be reopened.

Olembe, a 60,000-seat venue built for the tournament, was then stripped of the quarter-final due to be played there, with the match instead moved to the Ahmadou Ahidjo. That meant a double-header at the stadium on Sunday.

Egypt fell behind to an early penalty won by Achraf Hakimi and converted by Sofiane Boufal in the seventh minute.

Egypt captain Salah reacted quickly to knock in a rebound to make it 1-1 in the 53rd and sent in a perfect low cross for Trezeguet to tap in near the end of the first half of extra time.

Egypt haven’t won the African Cup since their record-extending seventh title in 2010. Salah made his debut for the national team the year after that triumph and is still searching for a first major title with his country.

So is Liverpool team-mate Mane, although Senegal’s wait has been much longer.

Mane’s pass opened up Equatorial Guinea’s defence for centre-forward Diedhiou to score in the 28th but Equatorial Guinea fought back to equalise through Buyla early in the second half.

The introduction of Kouyate and Sarr as substitutes paid off big time for Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.

Kouyate put Senegal ahead just three minutes after arriving when he pounced on a miscued defensive header. Sarr finished after brilliant work down the left wing by Saliou Cisse.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2022