Papa Gueye scored at the start of extra time to give Senegal a hard-fought victory over Morocco in arguably the most controversial final in AFCON history.
Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest of poor officiating, and Moroccan star Brahim Diaz missed a golden opportunity to score before Gueye’s strike secured the cup for Les Lions de la Teranga.
Late Drama Decides Another Tight AFCON Final
Senegal and Morocco locked horns in the 2025 AFCON final in Rabat on Sunday evening. It was a relatively tame first half, with Iliman Ndiaye and Nayef Aguerd’s missed opportunities being the highlights.
Just before the hour mark, Ayoub El Kaabi botched his effort, sending it wide off the mark.
A minute into injury time, Ismaila Sarr headed the ball into the back of the Moroccan net. However, the referee, Jean-Jacques Ndala, ruled it out for an allegedly soft foul on Achraf Hakimi.
Senegal players were livid with the call, and it reached a boiling point when Brahim Diaz won a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Sadio Mané wins Best Player of the Tournament Award at the AFCON! pic.twitter.com/r2XgZRpadw
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 18, 2026
As a sign of protest, Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw, led his players off the pitch, halting play. The game resumed around 20 minutes later, with captain Sadio Mane encouraging his teammates to finish the game. Diaz had the opportunity to seal the win from the spot, but his attempted Panenka was easily caught by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
A journalist has claimed Diaz intentionally missed the penalty to avoid escalating crowd trouble at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. With the score level at 0-0, the game went into extra time.
Three minutes into extra time, Papa Gueye dispatched a missile of a shot to find the top corner of the Moroccan goal. Aguerd and Cherif Ndiaye missed one opportunity each as the game finished 1-0, securing Senegal’s second AFCON win (2021, 2025).
Senegal’s AFCON Final Win Over Morocco Extends Striking Trend
Senegal’s victory on Sunday extended a striking trend in the AFCON final. It is the 13th consecutive AFCON final to be decided either by just one goal or on penalties.
Gueye’s goal, which was the 100th in Senegal’s AFCON history, arrived in extra time, showing how cagey these finals have been this century.
The last time an AFCON final saw a victory with over two or more goals was in 1998. Egypt beat South Africa 2-0 at the time, with Ahmed Hassan and Mostafa scoring for the Pharaohs.
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