18, January 2026

Africa Cup of Nations: very little positive to say about the end of the game 0

Senegal beat Morocco to win the Africa Cup of Nations for a second time – but only after the final was overshadowed when they temporarily refused to play when the hosts were awarded a controversial stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye scored the only goal in the fourth minute of extra time to seal a second triumph in four years for the Lions.

The game was marred by late controversy as Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw tried to usher his team off the field when Morocco were awarded a spot-kick in the 98th minute when defender El Hadji Malick Diouf brought down Brahim Diaz.

When the players returned to the field roughly 16 minutes later, Real Madrid forward Diaz stepped up to take the penalty, but had his attempted Panenka penalty saved by Edouard Mendy.

Thiaw, 44, was irritated with referee Jean Jacques Ndala – who awarded the penalty after reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor – for ruling out a goal for his side moments earlier.

Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr had bundled home from close range, but his effort was chalked off for a foul by Abdoulaye Seck on Achraf Hakimi.

Senegal goalkeeper Mendy went to the dressing room, but returned to the field after Sadio Mane encouraged his players to finish the game.

Gueye scored the only goal of the game with a stunning individual effort in the 94th minute.

Diaz, meanwhile, was substituted in extra time as Morocco missed the chance to win a first Afcon title since 1976.

‘Little positive to say, but Mane comes out of this well’

There is very little positive to say about the end of this game, but one person to come out of it well is Mane.

He was the one Senegal player who clearly did not want to walk down the tunnel and was telling his team-mates to come back out.

He also walked over to the Senegal fans after the full-time whistle, begging them to calm down.

There is now a line of armoured police in front of those fans to my left. It’s been quite violent down there on several occasions.

Source: BBC