Lovely Ambiance As Marseille Celebrate AFCON Heroes Before Clermont Foot Clash

• French giants Olympique Marseille are the latest European club to celebrate Senegalese players in their team that won AFCON
• Papa Gueye and Bamba Dieng were part of the Senegalese team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon earlier this month
• Part of the Stade Velodrome was decorated in Senegal colours to acknowledge the two Olympique Marseille players

Pape Alassane Gueye and Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Dieng are the latest Senegalese players to receive a rapturous welcome at their club after Olympique Marseille gave the pair a standing ovation on their return from the Nations Cup.

The pair played key roles as the Teranga Lions won the tournament for the first time in their history.

Having returned from Cameroon, the players were presented to fans of the club in a fabulous short ceremony before Marseille's game against Clermont Foot on Sunday.

Papa Gueye made one appearance while teammate Bamba Dieng played five games as Senegal defeated Egypt in the final to win the tournament.

Video of Khalidou Koulibaly consoling promising Egypt defender Abdoulmoneim drops

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The pair will be hoping their latest success will be a spring board for their career at Olympique Marseille.

Bamba Dieng has played 14 games and scored four goals for Marseille in Ligue 1 this season while Papa Gueye has made 11 appearances.

Boulaye Dia present with a gift by Villareal for winning AFCON

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Boulaye Dia, an unsung hero from Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations team, was given a standing ovation and presented with a boot-shaped plaque by Villareal following his return from international duty.

The 25-year-old attacker featured prominently as the Teranga Lions won the competition for the first time in their history a week ago.

Before Villareal's game against Real Madrid, the club presented him with a gift to appreciate his newest achievement.

Watford star Ismaila Sarr opens up on AFCON triumph

Senegal dedicate AFCON success to Papa Bouba Dioup, Bruno Metsu and other fallen heroes

Football

Watford winger Ismaïla Sarr finally became an AFCON winner after nearly missing the competition because of an injury and the club's reluctance to release him.

Sarr had appeared in two AFCON tournaments where Senegal were eliminated by Cameroon in 2017 and beaten by Algeria in the final in 2019.

However, he became third time lucky after beating the odds to represent his country to become a champions and in an interview with Watford's media he explained the emotions of being a winner for the first time.