“Tears in my eyes” – Sunderland star issues rallying cry, eyeing up “bigger goal”

Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra has admitted he was left with tears in his eyes watching previous winners of AFCON. Now he wants a bit of that glory for himself.

Senego cover comments from the Senegal midfielder today as he eyes up a place in the final with his country in Morocco. They’re currently through to the semi-finals, where they’ll take on Egypt on Wednesday.

It’s been an impressive tournament for the Lions of Teranga so far. They coasted through the group stages before seeing off Sudan and Mali in the last 16 and quarterfinals.

Diarra didn’t feature in the first two games, with the Sunderland midfielder having been a surprise inclusion in the group given he had been out injured for a while.

He came in against Benin, playing 45 minutes in that game before 73 minutes against Sudan and 62 against Mali. It’s hist first taste of the Africa Cup of Nations since making his debut for the national side in 2024.

Sunderland player believes dream is achievable

Now he’s one step away from a major trophy and it’s got him dreaming big. In fact, he can’t think of any bigger prizes at this moment in time.

“We can do better. We have players capable of giving more, but so far, we haven’t given 100%,” he said.

“For me, it’s my first. Just being here in the semi-finals is a dream. The opponents are strong, which pushes us to give our all. We can’t play at 50%; we have to be at 1000% in midfield.

“Everyone is capable of winning this cup, but it’s not necessarily the best group that wins. It’s the one that’s united, supportive, and gets along well together.

“Winning the AFCON for your country is something priceless. I can’t imagine a bigger goal. When we rewatched some videos of the victory, it brought tears to my eyes, and that’s what we all want to experience.”