Senegal Reserve Goalkeeper Jokes After AFCON Towel Scuffles in Chaotic Final Win
Senegal’s reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf has joked about his unexpected role in his country’s dramatic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final victory, after being tasked with protecting his team-mate’s towel during a chaotic showdown against hosts Morocco on Sunday.
Diouf, 26, was an unused substitute in the final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat but nevertheless found himself at the centre of the action as Senegal claimed their second continental title in five years.
With heavy rain falling throughout the match, first-choice goalkeeper Édouard Mendy was frequently forced to dry his gloves. However, that task was made significantly harder by repeated attempts from Morocco to discard the Senegal keeper’s towel — a tactic the hosts had also employed during their semi-final victory over Nigeria.
Diouf took it upon himself to guard the towel for the entirety of the 120 minutes, repeatedly retrieving it from ball boys and flag bearers. At one point, video footage showed the Strasbourg goalkeeper being tackled to the ground by several ball boys and dragged across the pitch, while another clip captured him sprinting away to keep the towel out of reach.
Further footage later appeared to show Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi tossing one of Senegal’s towels over an advertising board during the heated contest.
After the final, Diouf poked fun at the extraordinary scenes by sharing a photo of his winners’ medal alongside the now-iconic towel on Instagram. Accompanied by a love-struck emoji and a crying-with-laughter emoji, he wrote:
“There it is – the medal and the towel.”
The dramatic final was marred by controversy and delays. Senegal secured victory thanks to a stunning individual effort from Pape Gueye in the fourth minute of extra time, but the decisive goal came only after an extraordinary sequence of protests and interruptions.
Senegal temporarily refused to continue the match on the instruction of head coach Pape Thiaw after referee Jean Jacques Ndala ruled out a Senegal goal in second-half stoppage time, before awarding Morocco a 98th-minute penalty.
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mané remained on the pitch during the protests and eventually persuaded his team-mates to return to play. After a delay lasting around 17 minutes, Real Madrid forward Brahim Díaz — the tournament’s top scorer with five goals — squandered the penalty with an ill-judged Panenka attempt.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino later condemned the scenes, describing them as “ugly” in a post on Instagram.
Despite the controversy, Senegal held their nerve to secure a historic triumph, with Diouf’s light-hearted post providing one of the tournament’s most memorable off-pitch moments.
