NOS Football•
Morocco suffered a fresh football trauma last night, in an incredibly chaotic final of the Africa Cup against Senegal. Brahim Díaz’s failed panenka just before the end was particularly painful.
Outrage about the behavior of opponent Senegal, incomprehension and anger at the choice of Brahim Díaz to try it with a marker and, above all, sadness. After the emotional rollercoaster in the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, national coach Walid Regragui had hardly any words for how his team missed out on the African Cup victory.
“It is heartbreaking for the Moroccan people,” Regragui said shortly after rejecting a journalist’s call for him to resign. “Precisely because we were so incredibly close.”
Disallowed goal and panenka
Shortly before the end, the incidents followed each other at breakneck speed. First, a goal from Senegal was disallowed for a push and a minute before the end, Morocco received a penalty after a very minor foul.
Senegal’s players and staff became extremely angry and even left the field after much commotion. After a long break, Brahim Díaz was able to shoot Morocco to their first African Cup win in 50 years, but his panenka failed miserably. Senegal scored the winning goal in extra time.
“It all took so long and that undoubtedly knocked him off balance,” Regragui defended his star player Brahim Díaz. “But hey, it’s no excuse for the way he took the penalty in the end. We were one minute away from the African Championship. Football is cruel.”
Not a good picture
Regragui condemned the behavior of Senegal and in particular that of his fellow national coach Pape Thiaw. He summoned his players to the locker room. “It is an embarrassing image of Africa that remains. He should have shown more class.”
Ultimately it was Sadio Mané, Senegal’s star player, who seemed to ensure that the match was resumed. The player of the tournament said he feared for the continent’s reputation.
National coach Morocco after missing out on Africa Cup victory: ‘We missed the opportunity of a lifetime’
“It would have been very sad if the final had ended like this,” said Mane. “You cannot show such an image to the world. African football has developed tremendously, so I wanted to uphold that honor. I would rather have lost than that we had not come back.”
Senegalese national coach Pape Thiaw eventually apologized for walking off the field. “Sometimes you react impulsively. We now accept that referees make mistakes and apologize.”
More unrest
The camera of course mainly focused on the protesting and running away players of Senegal, but more happened. Fans of the Senegalese team jumped from the stands onto the field and got into a fight with security guards.
After the match, striking images circulated on social media of Moroccan players and ball boys trying to take the towel from Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
See the images below:
It showed how Achraf Hakimi threw in the towel, how PSV player Ismael Saibari interfered extensively and how ball boys even ended up in a wrestling match with Senegal’s reserve goalkeeper.
The opponent’s goalkeeper’s towel was also tampered with in the semi-final against Nigeria. Back then it was only the ball boys who were guilty of it.
In the run-up to the final, a lot of irritation had already arisen in Senegal. The national association issued a statement disparaging the lack of security for the players when they arrived in Rabat. A crowd then dived (out of enthusiasm) at the Senegal players.
There was also dissatisfaction about the limited number of tickets for Senegal supporters.
