Al Ain’s Kodjo Laba explains goal celebration against Wydad AC
- Dennis Kegengo
- Jun 27
- 2 min read
Togolese striker Kodjo Laba has shed light on the meaning of his celebration after he scored the opening goal for Al Ain in their 2-1 FIFA Club World Cup win against Wydad AC at Audi Field in Washington, USA, on Thursday.
After the North African side had taken the lead courtesy of Cassius Mailula, who powered home an unstoppable shot into the top-right corner, Al Ain levelled matters when Laba converted from the penalty spot after Ayoub Boucheta’s trip on Adis Jasic was penalised after a VAR review.
Laba, who was voted the Michelob Ultra Superior Man of the Match for his goal and dominant display up front, then combined with Matias Palacios to tee up Alejandro Romero for the second. But, what caught the eye of many was his celebration after levelling the scores.
“The celebration is a traditional dance from my country, specifically my village, Abaja. So when I score, I want to show the world we have this dance,” Laba told FIFA.com after the game.
On the overall performance of African teams at the global competition, Laba said: “I think African football is growing very well. I played three years in Morocco and today I can see how much the level has improved. I hope they grow more and more. I’m very happy for all the African teams and players. We will continue to show that we have football in Africa.
“In the games against Juventus and Manchester City, we saw the level and we will work harder to be a top, top team. We will train, we will fight and follow the instructions of our coaches to improve.”
Wydad finished bottom of their group, without a win, while Manchester City finished top with nine points and Juventus came second with six points.
