Senegal’s reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf has laughed about his unusual role during his team’s chaotic Afcon final victory on Sunday, where he was tasked with protecting his team-mate’s towel.
Although the 26-year-old did not play in the final in Rabat, Diouf still played his part in Senegal’s second continental title in five years. With heavy rain falling, first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy needed his towel to keep his gloves dry. However, Morocco repeatedly tried to remove or throw away the towel, a tactic they had also used earlier in the tournament. Diouf stepped in to guard it throughout the 120 minutes, even being wrestled to the ground by ball boys and chased around the pitch. Footage also appeared to show Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi throwing a Senegal towel over an advertising board. After the match, Diouf joked about the incident on Instagram, posting a photo of his winners’ medal and the towel, writing: “There it is – the medal and the towel.”
