Senegal’s AFCON 2025 match-winner, Pape Gueye, has admitted that the Lions of Teranga made a mistake by walking off the pitch during their final against Morocco.
Talking on a French programme, Téléfoot, on Sunday, January 25, the 26-year-old midfielder mirrored on the chaotic scenes in Rabat that noticed Senegal briefly abandon the sector in protest at a 98th-minute penalty awarded to the hosts.
Learn Additionally: Gueye brace fires Senegal into AFCON 2025 quarter-finals
Gueye went on to attain the decisive objective in additional time as Senegal edged Morocco 1–0 in a dramatic and ill-tempered closing to say their second Africa Cup of Nations title.
The match was overshadowed by controversy after Morocco have been awarded a late penalty, prompting the Senegalese gamers to stroll off and inflicting a delay of round 20 minutes. When play ultimately resumed, Brahim Díaz missed the spot kick earlier than Gueye struck the winner in additional time.
Learn Additionally: Senegal walk off in protest, then return to beat Morocco and clinch AFCON 2025 title
“We’re solely human. We realised our mistake and got here again out,” Gueye stated. “Anybody could make a mistake.”
The Villarreal midfielder praised former Liverpool ahead Sadio Mané, who stayed on the pitch throughout the standoff and satisfied his teammates to return so the penalty might be taken.
“He discovered the correct factor to say on the proper second, and it reveals simply how essential he’s to us,” Gueye stated. “We owe him a giant thanks.”
Senegal’s frustration had been heightened moments earlier when a objective was dominated out for what seemed to be a delicate foul, additional inflaming tensions late in regular time.
