Senegal reserve keeper jokes after Afcon towel scuffles

Yehvann Diouf, the reserve goalkeeper for Senegal, joked about how important it was to protect his teammate’s towel in Sunday’s haphazard Afcon final.

In extraordinary circumstances, Diouf, 26, played a crucial role in Senegal’s second continental triumph in five years. He was an unreliable substitute in the Rabat final.

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy was frequently asked to dry his gloves in the dreary conditions.

Morocco’s repeated attempts to remove the 33-year-old’s towel, a tactic they were also spotted employing in the semi-final victory over Nigeria, made the task much more difficult.

However, Diouf was present throughout the entire 120 minutes to shield his team-mate’s towel from the ball boys and flag bearers.

Three ball boys once wrestled the Senegal keeper to the ground before dragging him around on the floor. He also flies aground from the ball boys in video.

A later scene later in the game showed Morocco’s Acharf Hakimi tossing a Senegal towel over an advertising board.

Diouf shared a photo of his winners’ medal and now-iconic towel in a post-final Instagram post about how valiantly he went to support Senegal’s victory.

In the fourth extra-time winner of the game for Senegal, Pape Gueye scored a stunning individual effort in the final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

The goal was scored, however, after Senegal was instructed by head coach Pape Thiaw to temporarily abstain.

When Morocco were awarded a penalty in the 98th minute, the referee Jean Jacques Ndala ruled out his side’s goal before the match, leaving Thiaw reeling in the second half, the match was stopped.

Sadio Mane, a former Liverpool player, was able to persuade his team to return to the field despite their protests.

Brahim Diaz, the top scorer in the tournament with five goals, fluffed his lines from the penalty spot with a bizarre and untimely Panenka attempt after a 17-minute delay.