The New York Times delivered a scathing breakdown of Egypt’s performance in the 1-0 defeat to Senegal in the AFCON 2025 semi-final, describing it as one of the team’s poorest attacking nights despite the presence of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
The paper noted that when Sadio Mane struck the winner in Tangier with 12 minutes left, Egypt were still waiting for their first shot on target, appearing content to drag the game into extra time under Hossam Hassan’s highly cautious approach.
According to the analysis, Egypt’s style turned the match into a cycle of long-range Senegal efforts and hurried clearances from goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, with little structured build-up, while Senegal were braver but not relentlessly dominant. Mané’s goal came after another failed Egyptian clearance, with the 37-year-old El Shenawy reacting late to the strike from outside the box.
The report argued that Egypt never looked capable of creating a real chance for Salah, who was left isolated and asked to solve everything alone from hopeful long balls.
It suggested that although Salah is Egypt’s greatest ever player, that does not automatically make him the greatest in the Pharaohs’ shirt, especially if he retires without lifting the AFCON trophy, evoking comparisons with Lionel Messi’s long wait before winning Copa América and the World Cup.
The New York Times concluded that time has not yet run out for Salah, highlighting that Mané has already declared this edition his last and recounting how he told his former Liverpool teammate after the match: “Do not give up on your dream.”
