Senegal became the African champions after a 1-0 extra-time win over the hosts, Morocco, in an action-packed, sometimes chaotic final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Sunday night.
It was a close game between the two top-ranked teams in Africa by FIFA for most of the game, but minutes into injury time, Senegal scored what they thought would have been the winner when Ismaïla Sarr headed home a header from Abdoulaye Seck that struck the post.
Unfortunately for the Senegalese, the goal did not count, as the referee had blown for a foul by Seck on Achraf Hakimi, a decision many believed was controversial.
The match descended into chaos four minutes later after Morocco was awarded a late penalty after Hadji Malick Diouf was deemed to have pulled Brahim Díaz during a corner kick.
The decision angered the Senegalese as head coach Pape Thiaw ordered his players to leave the pitch. Acting on the coach’s order, the players left for the dressing room except for Sadio Mane, who remained on the pitch.
Play resumed after over 10 minutes of delay following appeals from Mane, who dissuaded the players from abandoning the game.
In a dramatic turn of events, Diaz’s Panenka penalty kick was comfortably saved by Edouardo Mendy to send the game into extra time.
Four minutes into extra time, Pape Gueye fired home a left-footed volley past Yassine Bounou to give Senegal the lead.
Thereafter, the Senegalese held on to the lead for the remainder of the game to win their second-ever AFCON title.
Speaking after the game, Gueye, who was named the man of the match, said, “I am very happy to win the final. It was a complicated match. After Morocco missed the penalty, we stayed focused, played our game, and showed Senegalese football.
“Then we scored a goal that allowed us to win the match. Scoring in a final is a moment of pride for me. I am very happy to score in the final, and most importantly, the Senegal national team now has a second star.”
