West Ham: El Hadji Malick Diouf hoping to bring energy from Senegal AFCON win and help Hammers stay in the Premier League
El Hadji Malick Diouf recalls the moment he gave away the penalty that almost cost Senegal the AFCON: "I was thinking about the people, the Senegalese people, the fans, my family"; Watch West Ham take on Chelsea live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm on Saturday
Friday 30 January 2026 09:17, UK
When a 21-year-old El Hadji Malick Diouf won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, he realised a childhood dream.
In 2022, when Senegal celebrated their first-ever AFCON, Diouf was 17 chasing the open-top bus as his heroes paraded around Dakar as history makers.
Four years on, he's a historymaker alongside his heroes after Senegal beat host nation Morocco 1-0 in one of the most extraordinary games of football.
But it very nearly wasn't to be. In the 98th minute, moments after Senegal were denied a goal deep into added time for a soft foul in the build-up, Morocco were awarded a penalty for an equally soft challenge.
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Diouf was adjudged, after a VAR check, to have pulled Brahim Diaz to the ground during a corner. Chaos ensued with Senegal staging a walk-off in protest against what they felt was injustice by the officials involved.
However, after a 17-minute spell of uncertainty, Senegal eventually returned ready to accept whichever way their fate would lie. All Diouf had worked for and dreamt about hung in the balance as Diaz stepped up to take what should have been the last kick of the competition.
"I was sad because I was thinking about the people, the Senegalese people, the fans, my family," Diouf tells Sky Sports as he recalls his emotions.
"I don't know how they were at that moment. Everyone was crying. At 98 minutes, you can't give away a penalty.
"As a young player, it was not easy. But you know, God's plan, nobody can change it."
Diaz's attempt at a Panenka was embarrassingly caught by an unmoved Edouard Mendy and extra-time would follow, where a Pape Gueye stunner would win it for Senegal. It was more than relief for Diouf.
"It was just amazing. It was a dream. For me, for the people, for my country, for my family also, because they were waiting for that moment [to win the AFCON].
The unsavoury scenes during the final has resulted in Senegal's coach Pape Thiaw and Morocco players being fined more than £732,000 and banned sanctions. However, Diouf felt great pride in his team-mates, who showed togetherness and leadership to return and finish the final in the first place in a testing environment.
"For me, it was an away game," Diouf tells Sky Sports.
"It was really, really difficult. But about our team-mates, the leadership, we have a lot of leaders. As a young player, I don't need the pressure. I don't need it. I just play my football.
"I do what I have to do on the pitch and then you will see the result. So it's what I follow.
"And we are champions. So I think this was the main thing. I'm just proud of me and proud of my team-mates. This was our goal!"
For a goal-driven Diouf, while the AFCON victory was sensational, it wasn't a surprise. It's a victory he believed he would achieve before the tournament even began.
Now back in London, he returns to his club side, West Ham, who are battling to remain in the league. The Hammers sit five points adrift in the relegation zone but fortunes are beginning to reveal themselves at the London Stadium.
Diouf returns at a more positive time for his side, who upon his comeback into the team, registered a third straight victory as the Hammers beat Sunderland. With the mood now on the rise in east London, Diouf hopes the energy from an AFCON win against the odds will add to West Ham's survival chances.
"I was really happy to be back. I come back, Sunderland, only one day and we win again.
"The winning mentality I have, I want to bring it with my team-mates. Because at this moment, we need that. Because we want to go up [the table].
"Every week, we have to make a good result. So, it's the moment to do it now.
"The gaffer. He believes in us. He believes the players. I have the confidence. I'm confident in myself. And I know every time, right now, I'm on the pitch, I'm free and I will give all my energy to this team.
"Does the current run feel like a turning point in our season? Of course. Because I was saying that everything can change.
"We don't know about the current moment, but of course everything can change. Now we are in a really good way. So, I think we have to stay focused to be consistent.
He's only 21 and he's a Champion of Africa; Diouf will feel he has the world at his feet. However, his next target is a clear one.
"I only have one goal right now, before the end of the season, is to keep West Ham in the Premier League.
"Only that. I will put all my energy for this team because they don't deserve to go down.
"They [the fans] don't deserve it. So, I will put all the energy that I have. What I don't have, I will go to work and bring it for the team."
Watch West Ham take on Chelsea live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm on Saturday, kick-off 5.30pm.
