The Africa Cup of Nations final turned into a night of controversy and heartbreak as Senegal lifted the trophy in Rabat following a dramatic extra-time victory over hosts Morocco.
Morocco Coach Slams “Shameful” Scenes After AFCON Final Chaos
In the dying moments of stoppage time, Morocco were awarded a crucial penalty that could have sealed their long-awaited triumph. However, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest, forcing a lengthy delay while tensions rose inside the stadium.
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui did not hold back in his post-match reaction, calling the scenes damaging to the reputation of African football.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍. 𝑨 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕,” 𝑹𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒖𝒊 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
Late Penalty Miss and Senegal’s Title Triumph
After VAR intervention, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala ruled that Senegal defender El Hadji Malik Diouf had fouled Brahim Diaz in the box, awarding the hosts a last-gasp penalty. Objects were thrown from the stands, and security struggled to calm the situation as play was halted for nearly 20 minutes.
When the match finally resumed, Diaz attempted a delicate Panenka-style kick, but Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy read it easily and made the save.
The missed chance proved costly. In extra time, Pape Gueye struck the decisive goal to secure Senegal’s second AFCON title in three years, silencing the home crowd.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Regragui added:
“𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒚. 𝑰𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒔, 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.”
Despite the disappointment, Morocco now shift their focus to the upcoming World Cup in North America, where it will face Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti in the group stage.
“Football can be cruel,” Regragui concluded. “We were one kick away from history, but now we must move forward.”
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