Liverpool icons Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane locked horns in the Africa Cup of Nations again but their encounter wasn’t without controversy
Sadio Mane was fouled by Mohamed Salah, and it sparked heated scenes in the first half(Image: )
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah sparked a melee after a foul on former teammate Sadio Mane during their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final. The Egyptian was penalised for a trip on Mane as the Senegal icon looked to hit their opponents on the counter-attack in front of the bench, forcing the respective teams to be separated.
Both Salah and Mane had to play peacemakers to separate the benches after the tussle. Mane, who left Liverpool to join Bayern Munich in 2022, rolled round after being tripped by Salah as he looked to regain possession when he was robbed of possession.
Sunderland’s Habib Diarra was booked for his role in the incident and will miss the final if Senegal progress as the two sides went in at half-time goalless. Salah was adamant that it was a soft foul but before kick-off, the two Anfield heroes embraced in Tanger, Morocco.
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Mane was the hero as he moved one step closer to further etch himself into Cameroon’s football folklore as they push to win their second AFCON crown in four years.
But for Salah, the grand prize on the African continent continues to elude his grasp as Egypt wait extends beyond 16 years, with the last win coming in Angola. Salah has starred for the Pharaohs in Morocco, sitting as the second-highest goalscorer in the competition after netting four goals but he couldn’t help them past Senegal with Mane scoring the decisive goal.
The semi-final saw the repeat of the 2021 AFCON final, which Senegal won on penalties with Mane beating Salah in Cameroon. Wednesday’s high-stakes showdown in Morocco saw the Liverpool icons lockhorns once again and meant the relationship during their time at Anfield rose to the surface again.
Speaking previously, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “Were they best friends? No. On the pitch, they supported each other, they fought for each other and yes, Bobby (Firmino) was the connecting point.
“Bobby was there when I arrived, a year later we brought in Sadio (Mane) and a year later, Mo, they were three of the best signings in the history of football.”
In his autobiography, Firmino detailed the relationship that the trio had as they played a key role in helping Liverpool rise to prominence under the German.
The Brazilian said: “I knew these guys better than anyone. They were never best friends.
“The three of us had very different personalities, Mane the most explosive, my role (was) as peacemaker, unifier.
“It was rare to see the two of them talking. But they never severed ties, always acted with the utmost professionalism.”
Going into the tournament, there had been a dark cloud over Salah following his incendiary comments, in light of Arne Slot dropping the 33-year-old.
Prior to his remarks, Salah had endured a tough season on Merseyside as he failed to repeat his heroics from last season that fired the Dutchman’s side to Premier League champions.
As a result of the Egyptian being on international duty, he has missed key matches against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal but in that time, Liverpool have enjoyed an 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
If Egypt were to exit at the semi-final stage, Salah could be in contention for the Champions League tie against Marseille next Wednesday ahead of the trip to Bournemouth as the third-place playoff takes place on Saturday, Janaury 17.
