The Goal.com article titled "Mohamed Salah vs Sadio Mane: The Egyptian King's ex-Liverpool team-mate is once again standing between him and the realisation of his Africa Cup of Nations dream" accurately captured the intense rivalry between the two football stars leading up to their recent clash. The article, published on January 13, 2026, served as a preview to the highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 semi-final between Egypt and Senegal. The central claims made in the article have been verified by the outcome of the match played on January 14, 2026. Sadio Mane's Senegal indeed defeated Mohamed Salah's Egypt with a decisive 1-0 victory in the semi-final, effectively ending Salah's quest for an AFCON title with his national team in this tournament. Sadio Mane, Salah's former teammate at Liverpool, scored the sole goal of the match in the 78th minute, reiterating his role as a formidable opponent in Salah's international career. This encounter marks another instance where Mane's team has bested Salah's in a crucial AFCON fixture, building on a history that includes Senegal's victory over Egypt in the 2021 AFCON final and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Mane's departure from Liverpool to Bayern Munich in June 2022 and subsequent move to Al Nassr means the description "ex-Liverpool team-mate" is accurate. Credible sources like The Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, and NBC Sports corroborate the match details and outcome. The headline, while analytical and anticipatory, proved accurate in its premise regarding Mane's impact on Salah's AFCON aspirations.