The AFCON final in Rabat didn’t explode — it simmered, then boiled over.
Ninety minutes of nerve-shredding tension passed without a goal, Morocco and Senegal locked in a grinding duel under hostile lights. Every tackle drew roars, every decision sparked fury. This was not a final for beauty — it was for survival.
Morocco, pushed on by a home crowd drunk on belief, probed and pressed. Senegal stood firm, Koulibaly barking orders, Édouard Mendy clawing away danger with the calm of a man who has seen storms before.
Then came the moment that set the night on fire.
Deep into stoppage time, VAR intervened. A penalty for Morocco. The stadium erupted — and so did Senegal’s bench. In disbelief and anger, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch, protesting a decision they believed would steal the cup from their hands. Chaos reigned. Whistles rained down. Officials pleaded.
Play eventually resumed.
Brahim Díaz stood over the ball with history at his feet. A chance to win AFCON for the hosts. He went for audacity — a Panenka.
Mendy didn’t blink.
The Senegal goalkeeper stayed tall, waited, and caught the moment in his gloves. Morocco’s dream stalled. Extra time beckoned.
And that’s where Senegal struck.
Three minutes into extra time, the deadlock shattered. The ball broke loose on the edge of the box and Pape Gueye unleashed a ferocious strike, low and true. It screamed past the keeper and into the net.
1–0 Senegal.
The goal sucked the air out of the stadium.
Morocco threw everything forward. Crosses flew. Shots crashed. Nayef Aguerd rattled the crossbar. Time bled away. Senegal defended like men guarding a crown they could already feel on their heads.
When the final whistle cut through the night, bodies hit the turf. Senegal’s players screamed, collapsed, prayed. They had survived controversy, pressure, and a home crowd — and still emerged standing.
AFCON belonged to them.
Not pretty. Not calm. But earned the hard way.
