Senegal stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them before returning to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time, and win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), amid farcical scenes in the final.
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner on Sunday, after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
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Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw ordered his players off, and it was talisman Sadio Mane who persuaded them to return.
The penalty was awarded following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner kick five minutes into stoppage time.
Officials and players jostled with each other while the referee consulted the touchline screen, and then again when Senegal walked off.
Once the players returned to the field, Diaz inexplicably tried a Panenka-style chip, and his soft penalty effort sailed tamely into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Senegal’s actions will be seen as a major blight on an otherwise successful tournament, although defeat continues Morocco’s poor record in the tournament, which they only previously won 50 years ago.
The Senegal team had initially been riled by the referee’s decision to disallow for a foul a goal they scored in the second added minute, when Abdoulaye Seck headed off the post at a corner, and Ismaila Sarr nodded in the rebound.
After Diaz’s penalty miss, however, it felt almost inevitable that a galvanised Senegal would go on to score, and they did so in the fourth minute of extra time to stun the home fans in the crowd of 66,526 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Mane won possession in midfield and found Idrissa Gana Gueye, who released his namesake Pape Gueye.
The Villarreal midfielder held off the backtracking Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi as he advanced towards the box, before beating goalkeeper Yassine Bounou with a superb strike into the top corner.
Morocco were distraught, in particular Diaz, who was promptly substituted.
They could still have forced a penalty shootout, with Nayef Aguerd heading against the crossbar in the second half of extra time.
But it was not to be for the hosts, who had been dreaming of winning the title in front of their own fans to end a 50-year wait to become African champions for just the second time.
Senegal could have been more comfortable had Cherif Ndiaye not squandered a glorious chance to make it 2-0 late in the extra period, but they held on.
It is their second Cup of Nations title in the last three editions, after they defeated Egypt on penalties in Yaounde in 2022 to win the trophy for the first time in their history.
They can now look forward to heading to the United States for the World Cup in June, and will hope to persuade Mane to play at another AFCON after he declared the final would be his last ever game at the tournament.
Any investigation into the scenes during the game will focus on the conduct of the Senegal team and their fans, as well as any shortcomings by Moroccan organisers.
The incidents came at the end of a tense final, which had been low on goalmouth action – not exactly surprising given the defensive strength of Africa’s best teams according to the FIFA rankings.
Senegal’s Iliman Ndiaye was denied by Bounou when clean through with the best chance in the first half, while Morocco should have scored just before the hour mark, but Ayoub El Kaabi prodded wide from a Bilal El Khannouss cross.
Then came the late drama, with Senegal surviving the penalty award before Gueye became their hero – remarkably, that was the first goal scored by the Lions of Teranga in an AFCON final after they had failed to find the net in any of their three previous appearances in the tournament’s deciding game.
It was an agonising way for Morocco’s campaign to end, and many of their fans had left the stadium before the final whistle on a cold and wet night in Rabat.
“We really wanted to win here,” Gueye said. “It was a very difficult match, but we gave everything.”
Morocco coach Walid Regragui said his side was “really disappointed” for the Moroccan people.
“When you get a penalty in the last minute, you can see victory very close, but in the end, football catches up with you.
“We congratulate Senegal, even if what we showed of African football was disappointing, given everything that happened when the penalty was awarded.”