Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has proven himself to be a hero once again after making a penalty shootout save for Senegal in their World Cup qualifier against Egypt. The win means that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) holders have booked their place in Qatar, whilst the Pharaoh's have fallen agonisingly short.
In a tantalising repeat of February's AFCON final, it took a shootout to separate the two sides after a cagey second leg in Diamniadio. After a 1-0 win in normal time, scores were level at 1-1 on aggregate, but the Senegalese defeated the Egyptians 3-1 from 12-yards.
Remarkably, each of the first four penalties were missed, with Kalidou Koulibaly hitting the bar before Liverpool star Mohamed Salah blazed the next penalty over - amid controversy as the striker was illuminated by a large number of laser pens from the watching supporters.
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Senegal proceeded to gain a 2-1 advantage after their first four spot-kicks, before Mendy stopped Mostafa Mohamed's attempt. Salah's club teammate, Sadio Mane, then stepped up to make it 3-1 to send the home crowd into a jubilant frenzy.
Mendy's penalty save is another fine example of how successful the 30-year-old has been over the past 12 months. The Blues' shot stopper was crowned the best goalkeeper at AFCON, shortly after winning FIFA's Best men's goalkeeper of the year in January.
He'll now be looking to continue his form when he returns to Chelsea, starting with an important Premier League clash with Brentford on Saturday before next week's Champions League quarter-final first leg tie with Real Madrid.
