AFCON 2021: Experience is a good asset, says Sadio Mane after securing Senegal's finals berth

The first finalist of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been decided. On Wednesday, Senegal defeated Burkina Faso 3-1 in the semis at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Cameroon to reach its third final of the tournament, having never won before. It will take on the winner of the Cameroon and Egypt clash that happens on Thursday night.

In the meantime, Senegal would be contending hard to win its first-ever AFCON title. Also, Senegal's star striker Sadio Mane has asserted that having played the final twice would be an asset for his side. Nevertheless, it would be nothing compared to Cameroon or Egypt's vas experience, the latter being the record seven-time winner.

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"Experience is a good asset. That has always been the case since the start of this tournament. We suffered so much with many COVID cases and several injuries too. We had a tough time, but with our experience, we kept calm until we recovered the whole group," Mane said following Senegal's win on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

"We played a final last time, so we have experience, and we will try to win this trophy. There are a lot of leaders in this team because we have a lot of great players and a lot of mature players. Everyone is contributing so that the team can move forward," added Mane.

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Senegal first finished as the runner-up in 2002, losing to Cameroon 3-2 on penalties. The year turned out to be a glorious one for the Senegalese, as it qualified for the FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. In the opening game, it beat defending champion France, besides becoming the first African side to make it to the quarters. It again competed in the AFCON final in 2019 against Algeria, losing 0-1.