Senegal Win AFCON: Mané Leads Lions to Glory

DThen Sadio Mané ran off, he had obviously had enough. The scoreboard at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat showed just the 110th minute of regular time, which alone was a testament to the special moments of the previous minutes. There had been turmoil on the field and in the stands, where the Senegalese supporters threw seats and tried to break out of their block. The situation had not calmed down yet, but at least it seemed as if the game could now continue without any security concerns. This final of the Africa Cup of Nations was now in the hands of Mané, who made his way to the Senegal dressing room. He had to get his team back on the field. “It would have been sad and regrettable to see a final end like this. It is impossible to convey such an image to the world,” said the former Munich player about these scenes. He would have “rather lost than to experience an end like that. That moved me to tell the boys to go back and play our football.”

In an unprecedented move, the Senegalese had previously fled the field in protest after what they saw as their tournament victory being stolen. Twice. Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo had only (in the second minute of stoppage time) disallowed a goal by Senegal because it had been preceded by a questionable foul. However, the VAR was unable to switch on, Ndala Ngambo had already blown the whistle before the ball landed in the goal. The video referee called in a few minutes later: This time, in the sixth minute of added time, a tug on the Moroccan Brahim Díaz’s jersey was punished as a foul – and the referee from Congo awarded a penalty, according to the images.

There could have been a debate about this decision, but it did not justify the subsequent protesting uprising in Senegal, which will be remembered as an extreme measure that distorted events and prevented a fair process. When the Senegalese left for the dressing room, Ndala Ngambo completely lost control, players insulted him and the anger was transferred to the stands. Coach Pape Thiaw played a decisive role and sent his team to the dressing room. And only minutes later, when Mané realized the seriousness of the situation and ran to get his colleagues back, could the game continue. Morocco coach Walid Regragui complained bitterly afterwards: “The way African football presented itself was rather shameful. Having to stop a game for more than ten minutes while the whole world is watching is not very stylish,” he said.

But the madness was far from over.

14 minutes after the penalty whistle, Youssef En-Nesyri handed his teammate Díaz the golden final ball that would bring Morocco its first title since 1976. The Real Madrid midfielder was expected to score the decisive goal, but he decided against the usual, against a normal shot, in perhaps the most important moment of his career. His penalty, a lob in the middle of the goal, a poorly executed panenka, a failed homage to Zinédine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final, he became an embarrassment. Senegal’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy stopped, caught the ball, and pointed to the sky where it had just started to rain, as if more drama was needed. And that remarkably insane finale, it continued.

It’s wild in this final and at some point Senegal’s Pape Gueye scores

So once again Morocco and Senegal should fight each other using the same means as before. This game was an intense exchange of blows right from the start; tactically and playfully, it underlined the increased level of the entire tournament. Things were already going wild before the events of injury time, which didn’t result in a decision. That came in overtime.

In the 94th minute of the game, Sadio Mané started again. The 33-year-old now looked visibly weakened and tired, but he masterfully recognized a situation in midfield: he stole the ball from the foot of Moroccan Neil El Aynaoui, dribbled briefly and then initiated the counterattack. Villarreal’s Pape Gueye was played shortly afterwards, reached the edge of the penalty area, almost got lost between the Moroccan legs and still shot while falling: His shot hit the top right corner like a dream, making it 1-0, which would remain.

The end result in a final game whose oddity will stand out even among the African Cup finals that have often been special in history. And ended with extreme images. Featuring footage of the horrified Morocco supporters in the stadium and a heartbroken Brahim Díaz receiving the tournament’s top goalscorer award from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He seemed as tragically lost as Zidane, who had also received an individual award in 2006 but lost the World Cup title, among his grieving compatriots.

On the other hand, the Senegalese celebrated their national hero Mané, the country’s greatest footballer, who played his last game at an Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat after his announced retirement after the 2026 World Cup. Under adverse circumstances, it became the coronation event for a player who, with one of his sprints, made a decisive contribution to ensuring that this final could even come to an end.