Senegal Beats Morocco in a Dramatic AFCON Final
- therookiereporters
- Jan 21
- 2 min read
The AFCON Final played in Rabat, Morocco today saw the Moroccan national team lose out against Senegal after a goal in extra time, played after an intense 90 minutes.
Both teams played brilliantly but Senegal had the upper edge against Morocco throughout the entire game, dominating possession in the first and second half. With a mostly uneventful first half and second half with neither side conceding goals, tensions flared nearing the end of the second half.
Sarr playing for Senegal scored during a corner kick, but the goal was ultimately disallowed as a result of a foul on Morocco’s Hakimi. In the 96th minute during a corner kick awarded to Morocco Brahim Diaz knocked to the floor by Senegal’s number 25 Hadji Malick Diouf, resulted in a VAR check which yielded a penalty for Morocco and saw Diouf receive a yellow card for the foul.
Following the VAR check Senegal coach PapeThiaw led his team off the pitch in protest of the VAR decision, and only returned following encouragement from Sadio Mane who had appeared reluctant to join his team as they vacated the pitch. The game restarted with Brahim Diaz taking the penalty for Morocco which he missed, ending the game with a 0-0 draw.
Within 3 minutes of the start of extra time, Pape Gueye scored an incredible goal kicked giving Senegal the lead that ultimately led to their win of the match and the AFCON title. Gueye was also named Man of the Match for his winning goal.
With a dramatic end to the African cup, Senegal won for the second time in their country’s history, after winning the competition in 2021. Yassine Bounou (Morocco) was awarded best goalkeeper, with Morocco’s Brahim Diaz receiving the award for the top scorer.
Senegal and Morocco both return to international football in June 2026 at the World Cup 2026.
Article Written by Israa Ihab
