Between Experience, Fervour!

Men are increasingly being separated from boys as February 6, 2022 draws nearer to decide which of the 24 teams that took off for the month-long campaign on January 9 to become Africa’s King in a king sport will cross the finish line first. From 24 to now four, the balance is weighing between teams with heightened enthusiasm to bag the coveted trophy for the first time and household names that have written their names boldly on African football records.
Some teams that were given the status of favourites prior to the competition have gone through thick and thin to now feature among the final four except Burkina Faso that was not considered as such but which dribbled its way to the semi-finals. In effect, the four teams that have secured their spots in the semi-finals have diverse football histories and are all hoping; legitimately so, for a place in the sun when curtains for the ongoing 33rd African Cup of Nations, christened: AFCON TotalEnergies 2021, drop on February 6, 2022 after the final.
Cameroon and Egypt are big names in African football. While the host boasts of five crowns to its credit, the Pharaohs are the most capped with seven trophies. The two football giants certainly capitalised on their experiences in the competition to get to where they are today. Their match on Thursday February 3, 2022 will certainly be a clash of titans. Both teams know each other so well and the difference might come from the generation of players who would want to add their names to that of legends credited for the past glories of the two teams. 
Senegal came into the tournament as one of the top favourites. The generation of players in the Teranga Lions are clearly bustling with zeal to write history. The team has been in top form in recent years and players believe AFCON TotalEnergies 2021 offers a golden prospect for them to lift the most precious trophy in African football which has eluded them for long. The team struggled through the group face with very tricky pairings and only stamped its authority during the quarter-finals clash against the combative Equatorial Guinea on Sunday. 
The Senegal-Burkina Faso semi-finals pairing will be a match to watch given the strengths of the trophy contenders, bolstered by the fact that none of them has e...