Senegal v Morocco, Getty Images January 19, 2026, 12:02 AM

The final match at the 2025 African Cup of Nations did not take long, and no one noticed how a month of very fierce confrontations between local national teams passed on this continent, which was traditionally full of cultural features of the region. However, in the end, we came to the point that in the decisive game, the team from Senegal was once again represented in the status of the current owner of the trophy, and they were opposed by those whom we expected to see in this match – the hosts of the tournament, the Moroccans.

Of course, there was no point in focusing once more on who the stands in Rabat were supporting this late in the evening. But the fan sectors of the Teranga lions were not sad either, and gladly took advantage of the opportunity to “borrow” the red color of their flag from their rivals in order to form a third of their own. But tricks in this game definitely could not be limited to the stands.

Various matches showed the national teams in this tournament in terms of interest for viewing by non-engaged fans, but in terms of passion at the decisive moment, the Africans were definitely not behind. Fast game on both sides of the field, although the teams tried to reduce the risks to a minimum. This desire was especially noticeable on the part of Walid Regrahi’s team, who scored their first shot on goal in the 81st minute through the efforts of Abde Ezzalzouli, who did not seem to stop for a moment on the left flank of the attack.

Although, in fact, both teams had very few scoring chances in regular time. Iliman Ndiaye’s crazy chance in the first half with a right-wing free-kick into the far corner that Boon parried immediately comes to mind. But the Moroccan El-Kaabi made the fans of his national team grab their heads already in the middle of the second half of the meeting, when by some miracle he did not hit the goal from a few meters at the end of El-Hannous’ cross from the right flank of the counterattack.

Even the substitutions were kept by both coaches until the last, and they started making them only when it really seemed that the game was about to go to overtime. But the stoppage time before the second half seemed simply insane. First, the goal against Morocco was disallowed because they saw a foul on Sek while serving a corner from the right wing at the far post, after which the defender himself hit the post, and Mamadou Sarr finished the ball into the empty net.

And then there was a moment, thanks to which even those who did not particularly try to follow this tournament will definitely see it on all news feeds at least for the morning. In the 90th + 7th minute, Braim Diaz openly tried to finish Diouf’s foul in the fight for a corner kick from the left edge of the attack to the far post, and still finished. Very controversial, but finished. So controversial that Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, took his team off the field in protest! And that’s all a moment before the final whistle! What happened!

In the end, the only one who kept a cool head was Sadio Mane, and when the referee told him that there would now be a technical defeat for the Senegalese national team for refusing to continue the match, it was the striker who ran to the locker room to get his teammates out of there. And all for what? And in order for us to see a real thriller by the name of Braim Diaz, who stupidly punched a miss in the center of the goal right into the hands of the goalkeeper Mendy, who, although he fell to his right side, but managed to stay on his feet. No one canceled overtime!

And there, a real shock awaited Morocco, which was one step away from a great victory. Because already in the 94th minute, Mane started a counterattack in his own half, which was completed by Papa Goue’s shot from the left wing of the penalty box under the crossbar of a terrible force. Then the Moroccans fought for a long time in an attempt to correct the situation, but the psychological blow to them was so strong that even the home stands could not help survive it. It was the final, for the sake of which the whole tournament is worth holding!

At the 90th+23rd minute, Braim Diaz (Morocco) missed a penalty (goalkeeper).

Senegal: E. Mendy — A. Mendy (Sec, 76), M. Sarr, Niakate, M. Diouf (Jacobs, 106) — Kamara (I. Sarr, 77), I. Gouet — I. Ndiaye (Mbaye, 76), P. Gouet — Jackson (S. Ndiaye, 90+3), Mane.