AFCON 2025: Papi Gaye’s Goal Unleashes Algerian Praise and a Finale Still in Play
3 April 2026
AFCON 2025 Final: Papi Gaye’s Goal and the Algerian Echo
Papi Gaye, the Senegalese star, spoke of his astonishment at the level of support from Algerian fans after he scored the only goal in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
In comments shared with SoFoot and cited by Foot Mercato, Gaye said he received a flood of supportive messages from Algerian fans who welcomed his role in denying Morocco, their longtime sporting rival, a second African title.
The Villarreal forward joked, “Algerians? No need for words… thanks to them I now have a million Instagram followers. They all messaged me after the game saying, ‘Brother, we are very happy, thank you, we didn’t want Morocco to win!’”
He added with a smile, “If I go to Algeria tomorrow, I think they’ll greet me with a limousine!”
Gaye’s goal was the lone strike in the final, played a little over two months ago, as Senegal won 1-0, though the title had not yet been officially decided in Senegal’s favor.
The match featured dramatic moments, with Senegal players briefly walking off the pitch for several minutes before returning.
The Moroccan Football Federation used the incident to lodge a protest, which CAF’s appeals committee accepted, recognizing a 3-0 honorary victory for the Atlas Lions.
But Senegal did not back down, filing a case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS); a final ruling is expected in the coming months.
Nevertheless, Senegal’s players celebrated the Africa Cup twice more ahead of the March break’s two friendlies against Peru and Jamaica.
Punchline 1: If football is a game of inches, it’s also a game of likes—one goal, a million thumbs-up, and suddenly you’ve got a fan club that makes your mom proud and your inbox overflow.
Punchline 2: And if Algeria greets him with a limousine, I’m filing a travel complaint for when my latte order arrives with the same VIP treatment.
