The final was about to be cancelled
©IMAGO
Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations in a chaotic final against hosts Morocco. The Senegalese almost caused the game to be abandoned shortly before the end when the score was 0-0. Because of two controversial referee decisions in added time, the Senegalese, with the exception of Sadio Mané, had already retreated to the catacombs when Morocco was awarded a penalty in the last minute of added time. Then things got strange.
Mané managed to get his colleagues back onto the field after a long protest. The penalty could be taken. Real Madrid’s Brahim Díaz went for the penalty, attempted a panenka and failed miserably at Senegal’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. In the extra time that followed, the Senegalese actually managed to take the lead through Pape Gueye (94th minute).
Referee decisions lead to turmoil
In injury time of regular time, Senegal had already scored the supposed winning goal. However, the goal did not count because referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo blew the whistle seconds earlier for an alleged striker foul. The VAR was unable to intervene because of the early whistle. The goal didn’t count, even though the foul decision was wrong. Instead, Morocco were awarded the dubious penalty shortly before the final whistle, this time actually after VAR intervention, which led to chaos in the final of the 2025/26 Africa Cup of Nations.
Senegal’s players and staff raged, and coach Pape Thiaw even ordered his players into the dressing room after long and heated debates. They didn’t stay there long. Former Munich player Mané remained level-headed and convinced his colleagues to continue playing. It should be worth it. Not only because Díaz weakly lifted the penalty that had led to the argument into Mendy’s arms.
In extra time, with good chances on both sides, the Senegalese looked physically and mentally fresher. After Gueye’s dream goal, which hit the ball perfectly as it fell, the Senegalese defended passionately. The strong Yassine Bounou prevented the score from making it 2-0. At the end of a memorable final, it didn’t matter. For the second time after 2022, Senegal was crowned champion of Africa.
