Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has spoken about the dramatic scenes that unfolded during the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, including his team’s temporary walk-off and the missed late penalty that defined the match.
Gueye, who scored the decisive goal as Senegal defeated Morocco 1–0 after extra time in Rabat last week, addressed the incident during an interview on French television on Sunday.
The tense final took a controversial turn late in regulation time when Morocco were awarded a penalty. In protest, Senegalese players walked off the pitch, causing a delay of about 20 minutes before play resumed. When the match restarted, Morocco’s Brahim Diaz failed to convert the spot-kick, before Gueye went on to score the winning goal in extra time.
“We are only human. We realised our mistake and came back out,” the 26-year-old said. “Anyone can make a mistake.”
Gueye singled out Senegal captain Sadio Mané for praise, revealing that the former Liverpool forward played a key role in calming the situation.
“He found the right thing to say at the right moment, and it shows just how important he is to us,” Gueye said. “We owe him a big thank you.”
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Senegal were already upset earlier in the game after having a goal ruled out for what appeared to be a soft foul, adding to the frustration that led to the walk-off.
Gueye also expressed surprise at Diaz’s decision to attempt a Panenka-style penalty, which went wrong.
“It was daring, and I would not have risked that myself,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan Football Federation has reportedly referred both the walk-out by Senegal and the behaviour of supporters during the final to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA for review.
