Malick Diouf admits Senegal will feel the loss of Sadio Mane

This comes after leading the players off the pitch during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, as players continued to praise vice-captain Sadio Mane.

With the team captain Kalidou Koulibaly suspended, Mane took over the armband and led by example as he asked his teammate to return to the pitch, after they had left in protest to the penalty decision against them.

Left-back Malick Diouf says they are going to miss their Mane...

"It's not going to be easy without him because he has a lot of experience. He is a really good man and over the years he has really helped us a lot."

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The events leading to Senegal objecting to some match officiating decisions cannot be ignored after what happened last night.

The West African country had written a long and detailed statement where they complained amongst other things, about the training venue and also the lack of security when they arrived in Rabat for the final.

Diouf was not ready to address this matter but is just excited with his first AFCON title.

Diouf, who plays for West Ham in the English Premier League (EPL) and is coming from the younger generation in this group, won this trophy for the first time yesterday.

This was Senegal’s second AFCON title in six years and their third final in four editions.

He is now looking forward to his first World Cup in six month’s time.

Last night’s result was the fifth clean sheet that Eduard Mendy and the Teranga Lions had kept in this tournament, an answer to why this team has been so solid at the back. It’s understandable why the two-time AFCON winner also says this title is well deserved...

"I feel extremely proud because it was a huge performance against the team who organised the AFCON at home in front of 70 000 people. Huge credit to the group, we fought really hard, and I think we really deserve the title, and maybe we deserved to score more."