Senegal win AFCON after late penalty chaos

• The Africa Cup of Nations final finished 0-0, then stopped in stoppage time when Morocco were awarded a penalty and Senegal left the pitch.
• Senegal returned after a 14-minute delay, Édouard Mendy saved Brahim Díaz’s kick, then Pape Gueye won it in extra time.
• Morocco coach Walid Regragui called it ugly and said, “The match we had was shameful for Africa.”

The Africa Cup of Nations final went to extra time after ending 0-0, then spiralled into chaos when host Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty and Senegal players walked off the field.

Senegal still went on to win 1-0 in extra time, lifting their second AFCON title and second in five years after winning it in 2021. The finish, and the walk off, left Morocco furious, with coach Walid Regragui targeting Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and defending Díaz after his missed penalty.

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw led his team off the field Sunday while Moroccan fans celebrated and whistled amid wild scenes on the pitch with players from both sides arguing with one another over the VAR call that handed the hosts the late penalty. The Senegal players eventually returned following 14 minutes’ delay in play after talisman Sadio Mane went into the locker room to encourage them to come back into the match.

Édouard Mendy then saved Brahim Díaz’s penalty while more Senegal fans tried storming the field. Tempers also flared in the press box with journalists fighting among themselves.

After the match, Regragui said: “I think a lot of time passed before [Brahim] was able to take the penalty, and this put him off,” Regragui said. “The match we had was shameful for Africa.

“When a head coach asks his players to leave the pitch, when he’s saying things that already started in the press conference [before the match, when Senegal accused Morocco of unsporting tactics]…he needs to stay class, in victory as well as in defeat.

“What Pape [Thiaw] did tonight doesn’t honor Africa. He’s an African champion now, so he can say what he wants, but they stopped the match for over 10 minutes.

“That doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit [the penalty], he hit it like that and we have to own it. We need to look forward now, and accept that Brahim missed it.”

The flashpoint came from referee Jean Jacques Ndala’s VAR ruling on a foul on Díaz, setting off a melee between the two sets of technical teams and players that then spread to the stands. Senegal’s Gaindé supporter group appeared to jump over the hoardings and onto the field, with stewards and riot police stepping in as projectiles were thrown and electronic boardings were damaged. Several Senegal fans were removed, and one steward was taken away on a stretcher with what looked like an upper-body injury.

During the stoppage time fracas, Senegal left the pitch on Thiaw’s instruction, with it unclear if it was a security move or a protest at the late decision to award a penalty after El Hadji Malick Diouf put his hands on Díaz in the box. After further scuffles and a booking for Mendy for appearing to scuff the spot, Díaz’s panenka attempt was easily saved.

Senegal then made the key moment count in extra time, when Pape Gueye struck from outside the area to secure the title.