Watford attacker Ismaila Sarr: Amazing to know what winning AFCON meant to Senegal | OneFootball

Watford attacker Ismaila Sarr admits he's yet to come down after the high of winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

The Lions of Teranga beat Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the final following a tight affair which ended goalless after extra-time, with Sarr playing the first 70 minutes in Cameroon.

The Watford winger recovered from a serious knee injury to participate in the tournament in the latter stages, scoring in the quarter-final against Equatorial Guinea and notching an assist in the final-four win over Burkina Faso.

“We obviously left to go to Cameroon with the objective to win the cup, and everyone was behind us," said Sarr, 23. “The fact that we won for the first time is something that is very, very important for everyone."

Sarr endured a heartbreaking end to his AFCON journey in 2019, losing 1-0 to Algeria in the final weeks before joining the Hornets.

Two years earlier, he had been on the bench in a quarter-final defeat to Cameroon on penalties. Sarr was delighted to go all the way this time, and has been part of nationwide celebrations in his native country following the achievement.

“That's my third African Cup. On the first one we got knocked out by Cameroon and I remember crying because it hurt so much," he recalled to Watford's website.

“The second one we got eliminated in the final against Algeria and again I can remember how much it hurt, and I cried again. But this time in the final I must say I cried because of the happiness, because we finally won.

“The whole country went on to the streets to celebrate with us, it was a lot of people. We were very happy, but when we went back to Senegal and saw everyone, we were even happier. We saw how much it meant to everyone."