In an unexpected turn of events in Rabat, Senegal overcame Morocco with a 1-0 victory following extra time, thereby securing their second title as Africa Cup of Nations victors.
The conclusion of regulation time featured a dramatic moment as Brahim Díaz, with a clear chance to win the championship, executed a chipped penalty kick directly into Édouard Mendy’s waiting grasp.
Approximately twenty minutes prior to that audacious penalty attempt, a spot-kick was granted to Morocco after El Hadji Malick Diouf’s contact with Diaz. A significant portion of the Senegalese squad, reacting to this highly disputed call, exited the field of play and entered their changing facilities before eventually re-emerging for the ensuing penalty.
Papa Gueye secured Senegal’s lead just four minutes into the additional period with a magnificent strike, and they successfully held that advantage through the rest of extra time, quietening the local fans and igniting widespread celebrations in Dakar and surrounding areas.
The sequence of events unfolded as follows.
The initial half of the match contained numerous scoring opportunities. Yassine Bounou, Morocco’s goalkeeper, executed two brilliant blocks against shots from Pape Gueye and Nicolas Jackson, preceding the home team’s prime scoring chance via Nayef Aguerd just moments before halftime.
The host nation for the competition advanced to the championship match in their capital city by securing a penalty shootout victory against Nigeria, whereas Senegal secured a 1-0 win against Egypt in Tangiers thanks to Sadio Mané’s goal scored late in the game.
Nigeria claimed the third-place position by defeating Egypt in a penalty shootout on Saturday, during which both Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City failed to convert their attempts from the penalty mark.
Nigeria recovered from their loss in the semifinal round to secure the bronze medal for the ninth occasion.
Morocco progressed to the final match for the initial time since the year 2004 following their triumph against Nigeria, a final where they ultimately suffered a 2-1 defeat to the host team, Tunisia.
Senegal’s most recent championship victory occurred in 2021, when they bested Egypt in a penalty shootout to claim their inaugural Africa Cup of Nations title, having previously experienced final losses in both 2002 and 2019.
