Kalidou and Mendy makes a return to AFCON
Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegal’s captain, and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy makes a return to AFCON and are back for training after missing their opening first two matches at the Africa cup of Nations (AFCON).
This is according to the country’s officials in a statement made on Sunday adding that they will be trained separately from the rest of the squad as Senegal awaits the results of their latest PCR tests ahead of their last group game against Malawi in Bafoussam on Tuesday.
Kalidou and Mendy were among the players initially left behind by Senegal when they traveled to the tournament in Cameroon after returning positive tests.
Photo/Courtesy
Bamba Dieng, the last of the players to recover from the coronavirus, arrived on Saturday from Senegal while Idrissa Gana Gueye and Fode Ballo Toure, who were both forced to miss this second Group B game against Guinea after returning positive tests, have since tested negative and resumed training with the rest of the squad, the Senegal Football Federation added.
Senegal is among the pre-tournament favorites, have been highly affected by the virus hence struggling in their opening two matches, but still managed to beat Zimbabwe 1-0 and draw with Guinea, giving them four points and almost certain progress to the last 16.
Kalidou plays as center-back for Serie A club Napoli and captains the Senegal national team while Edouard Mendy plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Chelsea
Mendy played the first two group games for Senegal at the last AFCON finals in Egypt in mid-2019 before breaking his finger, which required surgery, and missed out the rest of the tournament as Senegal reached the final and ended runners-up to Algeria.
Senegal finished in the second position in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Final a football match that determined the winner of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
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The match was held at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, on 19 July 2019 and was contested by Senegal and Algeria.
Algeria won the final 1–0 for their second Africa Cup of Nations title, and they’re first since 1990.
The 2022 Africa Cup of Nations has progressed into the second round of group stage matches, and one name stands out above the rest on the goalscoring table.
Captain Vincent Aboubakar of host nation Cameroon is on a tear to start the tournament, scoring four goals in his country’s opening two matches to put himself atop the list of players in a typically low-scoring tournament.
His teammate, Karl Toko Ekambi of Lyon, is right there behind him on two goals, as Cameroon’s two matches have featured nearly a quarter of the 30 tallies scored in the entire competition. Malawi’s Gabadinho Mhango, who plies his trade with Orlando Pirates in South Africa, is also on two goals after a brace against Zimbabwe.
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