Former Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy revealed the secret behind his saving of the penalty kick taken by Morocco’s Ibrahim Diaz in the final match of the African Cup of Nations football tournament.
Mendy explained, in statements to the British newspaper "The Guardian", that he realized early on that Diaz might try to execute the penalty kick in the "Panenka" manner, after he noticed the player slowing down earlier than usual before shooting.
The Senegalese goalkeeper said: "I realized it two steps before he took the shot. Usually when a player takes a Panenka penalty, he slows down on the last step, but I noticed that he did it early."
He added: "I knew his preferred side was the right, but when I saw him slow down a lot before that, I stayed put and was able to block the ball."
Mendy addressed the controversy surrounding the Africa Cup of Nations final, confirming that the Senegalese team completed the match at the end, before receiving the trophy and celebrating the title in their country.
Mendy stressed: "The only thing we have to remember is that the match was completed to the end. We left the field, but the match resumed. For me there is no problem, because the final was completed, we received the cup and celebrated in our country."
He continued: "When you talk to me about the Africa Cup of Nations, I simply say: Yes, we have won it twice. This is not against the Moroccan people or anyone else, it is just how we feel. I am not a lawyer, but it is just common sense. You cannot change something that has already been decided."
Al-Ahli Saudi goalkeeper Edward Mendy announced his retirement from international football last week at the age of 34, ending his career with his national team after playing 59 international matches.
The contact made by the new Senegalese coach, Patrick Vieira, failed to convince Mendy to reverse his decision to retire and continue with the "Lions of Teranga".
Sénégalais Edouard Mendy, named for the trophy of the best garden of the season, a day earlier in the international carriage Laisser place in the new… pic.twitter.com/YV2AJczTtG
something I had already considered. But at the end of the call I asked for some time to think about everything, and two days later I called him and explained that I wanted to stick to my decision."
He added: "I started thinking about it after the Africa Cup of Nations, and I came to the conclusion that it was time to say stop."
Mendy expressed his hopes that the new generation of Senegalese players would continue the legacy of achievements, mentioning names such as Lamine Camara, the Monaco player, and Ibrahim Mbaye, the Aston Villa player, after the Senegalese national team won its first continental title in 2022.
Edward Mendy confirmed that winning the Africa Cup of Nations was the most important moment in his career, surpassing in value to him the Champions League, saying: "Winning the Africa Cup of Nations was the best moment in my football career, it was ten times better than the Champions League. I can compare now because I also won the
AFC Champions League twice."
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