OGC Nice’s Antoine Mendy and Yéhvann Diouf lifted the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal last night, after a 1-0 extra-time win over Morocco in the final.

Following an end-to-end game that saw a Senegal goal ruled out in the second minute of second-half stoppage time and then a Morocco penalty missed at the very end of this same period of the match, the Teranga Lions eventually came out on top thanks to a masterful strike from Pape Gueye in the fourth minute of extra time.

Having been named in his side’s starting XI less than an hour before kick-off due to AS Monaco’s Krépin Diatta getting injured in the warm-up, Mendy played 75 minutes before making way for Abdoulaye Seck. In doing so, the young right-back made his AFCON debut just under a year after being called up to Senegal’s senior men’s team for the first time.

With his country’s flag draped over his back, Le Gym’s academy graduate was able to celebrate alongside Yéhvann Diouf – his teammate for both club and country and an unused substitute in this final – before getting his hands on the trophy itself and making the entire Rouge et Noir family proud.

 

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