The snarling, wily forward found his scoring touch at a critical moment, as small margins decided the final in Cairo on Friday
When Baghdad Bounedjah's speculative effort looped off the outstretched leg of Salif Sane and dipped into the Senegalese goal beyond Alfred Gomis, it felt immediately like the worst possible opening to a game that was always destined to be fractious.
There was precedent for what was to come in the first meeting between these sides some three weeks ago, which Algeria won with a second-half Youcef Belaili strike.
Then, the North Africans seemed on a mission to prove they could compete physically, but that strategy appeared to be in service of a mental warfare: by beating Senegal on the front where they seemed strongest, they gained the upper hand by which they then struck in the second half.