Idrissa Gueye: "I Went to the Coach and Said, 'Imagine if He Missed the Penalty'... We Laughed a Little, Then He Told Us to Keep Playing"
Idrissa Gana Gueye, a player for the Senegalese national team, spoke about some behind-the-scenes events from the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, emphasizing that goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's save of Brahim Díaz's penalty kick was a major turning point in the match.
Gueye stated in a televised interview: "Praise be to God. We thank God because we did our part, but in the end, God is the one who granted us victory. We also congratulate the Moroccan national team, whose level is developing significantly. It was a beautiful match. Many things happened, but the only thing we will remember today is that we are the champions of Africa."
He added: "This is Senegal's second star, and perhaps even the third if we count the star already present on our country's flag. We are very happy, and now we will go to celebrate with our people who are waiting for us, and with our families."
He continued: "I think everyone saw what happened, and at one point we were thinking, many things happened, players wanted to stop. We didn't know exactly what to do, we were in a state of confusion. But at a certain moment, I went to the coach and told him: 'Imagine if he missed the penalty.' We laughed a little, then he told us: 'Let's keep playing, let's take this as motivation, and we'll see what happens.'"
He went on: "Our goalkeeper saved the penalty. After that, we knew they had received a strong psychological blow. So we started playing long balls, trying to press at the right time, and we scored the goal at the right moment. After that, we had to stay strong, defend well, and try to play on counter-attacks. We had chances to score a second goal, we didn't succeed, but we won the match."
Regarding Mané, he concluded: "He is a legend of African football, and the best player in Senegal's history. We know everything he gives to us, and everything he gives to the country. We will see what the future holds for us. Now we must enjoy this triumph. We have the World Cup in the summer, and we will also try to achieve something there."
