Senegal shocked Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday, defeating the hosts 1-0 in extra time thanks to Pape Gueye’s goal. The contest was tainted by embarrassing scenes after a contentious penalty call.
According to AFP, Brahim Diaz had the opportunity to win the trophy for Morocco when he took the penalty kick in the 24th extra minute at the conclusion of regular time.
However, the Real Madrid winger’s feeble attempt at a chip was easily saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who was obviously preoccupied by the lengthy nearly 20-minute delay that preceded the penalty award.
Referee for a Congolese match After a VAR check for a challenge on Diaz in the area by Senegalese defender El Hadji Malick Diouf, Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded the penalty at the end of the allowed eight extra minutes.
Senegal and their supporters were furious when the referee decided to award the spot kick despite Diaz, the rest of the Moroccan players, and their bench strongly protesting to have the photos checked.
Some Senegal fans in the small away fan section at the other end of the stadium tossed chairs and other items and tried to enter the field of play as the majority of their players left.
Eventually, a sizable barrier of police and stewards restrained them, and when the punishment was avoided, their rage gave way to joy and incredulity.
The referee’s decision to reject a goal that the Senegal squad had scored in the second extra minute after Abdoulaye Seck headed off the post at a corner and Ismaila Sarr nodded in the rebound had originally infuriated the team.
However, it seemed virtually inevitable that a motivated Senegal would score after Diaz missed the penalty kick. They did it in the fourth minute of extra time to surprise the home crowd of 66,526 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
The hero Gueye
Idrissa Gana Gueye, who released his namesake Pape Gueye, was found by Sadio Mane after he gained possession in midfield.
Before beating goalkeeper Yassine Bounou with an incredible strike into the top corner, the Villarreal midfielder held off the backtracking Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi as he progressed towards the area.
Morocco was upset, especially Diaz, who was replaced right away.
With Nayef Aguerd’s header against the crossbar in the second half of extra time, they still had a chance to force a penalty shootout.
However, it was not to be for the hosts, who had been hoping to end a 50-year wait to become African champions for just the second time by capturing the title in front of their own supporters.
Had Cherif Ndiaye not wasted a fantastic opportunity to make it 2-0 late in the extra session, Senegal could have been more at ease, but they managed to hold on.
They won the Cup of Nations trophy for the first time in their history in 2022 after defeating Egypt on penalties in Yaounde, and this is their second Cup of Nations victory in the last three editions.
After star player Mane announced that the final would be his final AFCON match, they can now look forward to traveling to the United States for the World Cup in June. They will also attempt to convince Mane to play at another AFCON.
The behavior of the Senegal squad and their supporters, as well as any errors made by the Moroccan organizers, will be the main subjects of any inquiry into the scandalous incidents that occurred during the match.
Given the defensive prowess of Africa’s top teams according to FIFA rankings, the incidents occurred at the conclusion of a tense final that had seen little goalmouth activity.
In the first half, Morocco should have taken the lead just before the hour, but Ayoub El Kaabi poked wide from a cross from Bilal El Khannouss, while Senegal’s Iliman Ndiaye was stopped by Bounou when clear through with the greatest opportunity.
Then came the late drama, with Senegal surviving the penalty award before Gueye emerged as their hero. Interestingly, that was the Lions of Teranga’s first goal in an AFCON final after they had failed to score in each of their three prior appearances in the tournament’s decisive match.
On a chilly and rainy night in Rabat, many of Morocco’s supporters had departed the stadium before the final whistle, making it an excruciating way for their campaign to finish.
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