We were just coming out of a surreal end to the match in this CAN final between Senegal and Morocco. A ludicrous quarter of an hour where the Senegalese left the field for a while after the penalty awarded to the Moroccans in stoppage time, ultimately missed by Brahim Diaz. Cold snap in Rabat, then icy wind from the start of extra time launched in the wake of the Real Madrid striker’s surreal and failed panenka.
The fault lies with former OM midfielder Pape Gueye, who scored after four minutes (94th). The Villarreal midfielder took advantage of a counter, launched on a loss of ball from Neil El Aynaoui, to deceive Yassine Bounou with a superb strike from the left after winning his duel with PSG full-back Achraf Hakimi.
The player, who grew up in Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis) then went to celebrate his goal with his partners and then pointing to the crest of his selection on his chest. To the great dismay of the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium, where balls of paper fell from the stands on the pitch.
Pape Gueye was already part of the group that won the African Cup of Nations in 2022. Arriving at the end of his contract with Marseille in 2024, he chose to join La Liga and Villarreal.
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