PARIS: Senegalese Pape Gueye spoke about his team’s victory in the Africa Cup of Nations final and Morocco’s penalty miss in an interview on French television on Sunday.
Gueye scored the winner as Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in extra time in a controversial match in Rabat last week.
Morocco were awarded a late penalty, triggering the elimination of the eventual winners, leading to a 20-minute delay.
When Senegal returned, Brahim Diaz scored his penalty, while Gueye scored the winning goal in overtime.
“We are only human, we realized our mistake and came out,” said midfielder Gueye, 26. “Everyone can make a mistake,” he added.
Gueye praised former Liverpool star Sadio Mané for staying on the pitch and urging his teammates to get back into the game for the penalty.
Senegal was already furious to see a goal disallowed for an apparently minor foul a few minutes earlier.
“He found the right thing to say at the right time and that shows how important he is to us,” he said. “We owe him a big thank you.”
Gueye also said he was surprised that Diaz dared to attempt a panenka penalty which went seriously wrong.
“It was bold and I wouldn’t have taken that risk myself,” he said.
The Moroccan Football Federation officially referred the walkout and the behavior of the supporters to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which organizes the CAN and FIFA.
Published in Dawn, January 26, 2026
