Senegal Stuns Morocco in Farcical AFCON Final Mired by Refereeing Controversy

Senegal’s players left the pitch in protest at the award of a stoppage-time penalty which was then saved in a bonkers match.

Pape Gueye (left) scored the decisive goal. | Abdel Majid BZIOUAT/AFP/Getty Images

Pape Gueye’s thunderous effort in extra time earned Senegal a narrow 1–0 victory over their hosts Morocco on Sunday, but this year’s Africa Cup of Nations final will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.

This has been a laudable edition of AFCON. Amid all the state of the art stadiums, high-class goals and exhibitions of continental excellence, the only complaint has been a lack of upsets.

Few could have predicted the staggering scenes which unfolded in Rabat.

After 97 goalless minutes, Real Madrid’s Brahim Díaz dropped to the turf crying foul play. Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo initially waved play on, like most of the 68,000 fans stuffed into the deafening cauldron of Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, he had seen no offence. However, VAR spotted a tug from El Hadji Malick Diouf on Morocco’s talismanic forward while defending a corner.

The contact was not overly excessive, but penalties have been given for far less in the age of VAR. Pape Thiaw was of a different opinion. Senegal’s manager called his players off the pitch in an unprecedented show of disgust.

Controversy dominated Sunday’s final. | Abdel Majid BZIOUAT/AFP/Getty Images

During a competition which has bubbled away with the background of supposedly favourable refereeing decisions for the hosts, Thiaw’s unbridled rage was heightened even further by the decision to disallow what Senegal thought was an opening goal from Ismaïla Sarr in the 92nd minute.

Abdoulaye Seck was judged to have fouled Achraf Hakimi in the buildup, placing two hands on the Paris Saint-Germain defender’s chest with little more contact than Díaz had felt. Yet, unlike the penalty incident, VAR had no jurisdiction as the referee had blown his whistle long before Sarr headed the ball beyond Yassine Bounou.

Senegal captain Sadio Mané was the sole representative of his nation left on the pitch while his teammates headed to the dressing room. While the threat of a forfeit hung in the air like a rotten stench, the former Liverpool star belatedly convinced his compatriots to return to face their fate. A staggering 15 minutes and 25 seconds after the referee had waded through a scrum of players gathered around the VAR monitor to first award the penalty, the spot kick was taken.

In a farcical twist of events, Díaz tried to dink his effort down the middle of the goal. Edouard Mendy was wise to the attempted Panenka, catching the ball to spread a sense of astonishment across the stadium, continent and beyond.

Brahim Díaz let himself down with his penalty. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Morocco’s hopes of ending their 50-year wait for AFCON glory were wiped out by that pitiful penalty. As manager Walid Regragui berated Díaz after the full-time whistle, Senegal undoubtedly grew in confidence.

Pape Gueye needed just four minutes of extra time to twist the knife. Mané latched onto a slack touch from the luckless Neil El Aynaoui, rolling the ball back before it was thrust into the feet of Gueye. Holding off Hakimi as he strode towards goal, the Villarreal midfielder clattered a venomous effort off the underside of the crossbar to silence the hive of whistles.

Youssef En-Nesyri would skew wide as the hosts desperately flung bodies forward in search of an equaliser while Nayef Aguerd crashed a header against the crossbar. Yet it was not to be on a night never to be forgotten.

This was always going to be a tight affair. Most finals are desperately tense attempts to avoid defeat rather than achieve victory and this truism has been painfully apparent in AFCON’s recent showpiece events. This was the 10th final of the last 13 in this competition to have ended either goalless or 1–0.

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Crazy Conclusion

• 90+2: Senegal have goal disallowed
• 90+8: Penalty awarded to Morocco
• 90+12: Thiaw leads Senegal players off the pitch
• 90+18: Mané ushers his teammates back onto the pitch
• 90+24: Mendy saves Díaz’s penalty

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Senegal vs. Morocco Player Ratings

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Senegal (4-3-3)

Edouard Mendy patrolled the posts for Senegal. | Abdel Majid BZIOUAT/AFP/Getty Images

Player	Rating (Out of 10)
GK: Edouard Mendy	8.6
RB: Antoine Mendy	6.9
CB: Mamadou Sarr	6.8
CB: Moussa Niakhaté	7.4
LB: El Hadji Malick Diouf	7.2
CM: Lamine Camara	7.0
CM: Idrissa Gana Gueye	8.1
CM: Pape Gueye	8.3
RW: Iliman Ndiaye	6.6
ST: Nicolas Jackson	6.6
LW: Sadio Mané	7.5
SUB: Abdoulaye Seck (77’ for Mendy)	6.5
SUB: Ismaïla Sarr (77’ for Ndiaye)	6.4
SUB: Ibrahim Mbaye (77’ for Camara)	6.7
SUB: Cherif Ndiaye (90+3’ for Jackson)	5.9
SUB: Ismail Jakobs (106’ for Diouf)	6.3

Subs not used: Mory Diaw (GK), Yehvann Diouf (GK), Mamadou Lamine Camara, Ousseynou Niang, Pape Sarr, Pathé Ciss, Boulaye Dia, Cheikh Sabaly, Habib Diallo.

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Morocco (4-3-3)

Morocco was heavy favorites coming into their home tournament. | Issam Zerrok/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

Player	Rating (Out of 10)
GK: Yassine Bounou	7.8
RB: Achraf Hakimi	7.1
CB: Nayef Aguerd	6.4
CB: Adam Masina	6.7
LB: Noussair Mazraoui	7.3
CM: Bilal El Khannouss	6.5
CM: Neil El Aynaoui	5.4
CM: Ismael Saibari	6.3
RW: Brahim Díaz	6.5
ST: Ayoub El Kaabi	6.1
LW: Abdessamad Ezzalzouli	7.1
SUB: Youssef En-Nesyri (80’ for El Kaabi)	6.5
SUB: Oussama Targhalline (80’ for El Khannouss)	5.7
SUB: Jawad El Yamiq (89’ for Masin)	6.7
SUB: Anass Salah-Eddine (90+4’ for Saibari)	7.1
SUB: Ilias Akhomach (98' for Díaz)	6.5
SUB: Hamza Igamane (98’ for Mazraoui)	N/A

Subs not used: El Mehdi Al Harrar (GK), Munir (GK), Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Mohamed Chibi, Romain Saiss, Youssef Belammari, Sofyan Amrabat, Chemsdine Talbi, Soufiane Rahimi.

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