Mohamed Salah was left in tears as Liverpool teammate inflicted AFCON agony

Mohamed Salah was in tears after losing the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations final on penalties to former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane, who had a heartfelt message for the Egyptian

Mohamed Salah is still trying to win the Africa Cup of Nations(Image: Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah was left in tears and needed comforting from Sadio Mane after losing the Africa Cup of Nations final in 2022.

Nearly four years ago, Mane's Senegal emerged victorious in a penalty shootout. Salah has since flown out to reunite with Egypt, amid uncertainty surrounding his situation at Liverpool. The 33-year-old appeared emotional at the end of the Reds' victory over Brighton, a week after he claimed the club had "thrown him under the bus" and "wanted him out."

Egypt holds the record for the most AFCON victories, having won the tournament an impressive seven times. However, the country's last win was in 2010, and Salah has yet to lift the trophy.

He came tantalisingly close three years ago when he reached the final, only to be thwarted by former teammate Mane's decisive penalty. The final in Cameroon kicked off with high drama, as Senegal were awarded a penalty within the first seven minutes.

But Mane's shot was saved by goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal. What followed was a tense match that ended in a 0-0 draw. Despite several promising opportunities, no goals were scored in extra time, leading to a penalty shootout to determine the champion.

After two missed penalties from Egypt, Mane redeemed himself by scoring what would be the winning goal. Salah, slated as the fifth penalty-taker, never got his chance due to his teammates' mistakes, as Mane sealed the victory.

Sadio Mane consoled Salah after beating him in the 2021 AFCON final(Image: Getty Images)

The Egyptian was devastated when the final whistle sounded, and in a touching gesture, Mane approached to comfort Salah amid the exuberant celebrations. The victory had secured Senegal's maiden AFCON triumph.

In a conversation with L'Equipe, Mane revealed what he said to Salah back in 2022. He explained: "We'd been teasing each other a lot before the Africa Cup of Nations, and I suspected he was bound to be very disappointed.

"I wasn't about to leave him without a word, though.

"What I did, he would have done the same, even if things had turned out differently. I said something simple to try and comfort him, asking him not to let it get him down."

During the country's last AFCON defence, Senegal was shockingly ousted by host nation Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout during the round of 16.

Egypt, surprisingly, made it to the knockouts without a single victory, drawing all three matches. But Salah and his teammates were knocked out in the round of 16, losing to DR Congo on penalties.

Both Senegal and Egypt are considered favorites for this year's tournament, with Salah hoping to leave the turmoil at Anfield behind him.

Meanwhile, Mane, now 33, will be representing Senegal, making his sixth AFCON appearance.