By Martin Graham
The match and the winning goal
The Senegal national football team became the winners of the African Cup of Nations by defeating Morocco 1:0 after extra time in the final. Regular time in Rabat ended with a score of 0:0. Senegalese midfielder Papa Gueye scored the winning goal in the 4th minute of the first overtime.
In second-half added time, a goal by Senegalese defender Abdoulaye Seck was disallowed after a video review. Later, a penalty was awarded against Senegal for a foul The Hadji Malick Diouf to the Moroccan midfielder Brahim Diaz. In protest at this decision, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw took his players off the field.
They returned 14 minutes later after the persuasion of the team captain, Sadio Mané. When play resumed, Diaz was unable to convert the penalty.
Controversies and consequences
After the match, The one from Morocco Head coach Walid Regragui criticized Thiaw’s decision to send his team off the field and defended Diaz for missing the penalty. “I think it was a long time before Brahim could take the penalty, and that confused him,” Regragui said. The coach also described the match as a shame for the image of Africa.
The referee’s decision on Diaz’s foul caused a fight between the coaching staff and the players of both teams. After that, riots broke out in the stands. Senegalese fans began jumping over billboards on the pitch; some ran to the edge of the field, while others began throwing various objects at stadium security personnel. Several Senegalese fans were removed by the police, and a steward was carried out on a stretcher.
As The Guardian noted, Senegal’s head coach and some players will likely face sanctions for their behavior. Also, after the match, Sadio Mane announced that he would no longer play in the African Cup of Nations.
Background and previous complaints
It is worth saying that even before the match, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) accused Morocco of poor preparation for the final. The Senegalese delegation was dissatisfied with the level of security, accommodation and confusion with the training bases. They also complained that they will only be allocated about 2,800 tickets for a stadium with a capacity of 69,500 spectators.
The Senegal the national team won the African Cup of Nations for the second time, having previously won in 2021. The tournament is held every two years, and the record for wins is the national team of Egypt, with seven trophies.
