{"id":47855,"date":"2026-01-19T09:22:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=47855"},"modified":"2026-01-19T09:22:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:22:44","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignsenegal-beat-morocco-in-chaotic-afcon-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/01\/19\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignsenegal-beat-morocco-in-chaotic-afcon-final\/","title":{"rendered":"Senegal beat Morocco in chaotic AFCON final"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mvp-content-main\">&#13;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_188654\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-188654\" class=\"wp-image-188654 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-beat-Morocco-in-chaotic-AFCON-final.jpg?resize=600%2C411&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-beat-Morocco-in-chaotic-AFCON-final.jpg 600w, https:\/\/fakazanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sadio-Mane-senegal-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-188654\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sadio Mane hold up the AFCON cup after defeating host country Morocco<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Senegal were crowned Africa Cup of Nations champions after a tense and chaotic 1\u20130 victory over hosts Morocco, decided by Pape Gueye\u2019s stunning extra-time goal in a final that will be remembered for controversy, drama and raw emotion.<\/p>\n<p>The decisive moment came four minutes into extra time at a rain-soaked Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, when Gueye burst forward, collected a pass from Idrissa Gana Gueye and powered a left-footed strike beyond Yassine Bounou to send Senegal\u2019s players and supporters into raptures.<\/p>\n<p>The goal silenced a partisan crowd of over 66,000 and sealed Senegal\u2019s second AFCON title in three tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>The final had been pushed into extra time following an extraordinary end to regulation play.<\/p>\n<p>Deep into stoppage time, Moroccan winger Brahim D\u00edaz was awarded a penalty after a VAR review of a challenge by El Hadji Malick Diouf.<\/p>\n<p>The decision sparked chaos, with Senegal\u2019s players briefly walking off the pitch in protest before being persuaded to return.<\/p>\n<p>When play resumed, D\u00edaz attempted a cheeky panenka, but Senegal goalkeeper \u00c9douard Mendy stood his ground and calmly gathered the weak effort, a miss that proved to be the turning point of the match.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, Senegal had already felt hard done by after Ismaila Sarr saw a late goal ruled out for a foul, further fuelling their frustration with the officiating.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than breaking them, the drama appeared to galvanise the Teranga Lions.<\/p>\n<p>After the final whistle, Senegal\u2019s players sprinted away in celebration, while Moroccan players collapsed to the turf, devastated by another near miss on home soil.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe players deserve credit. It was an objective we set for ourselves, one we wanted to achieve, especially this year,\u201d said Senegal coach Pape Thiaw.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe prepared well to come and win this trophy. We knew it was going to be difficult, and we really suffered, but we showed character and resilience. It paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sadio Man\u00e9, who played a crucial leadership role on the night, revealed just how much the final meant to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday was the match where I had to give everything,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were no excuses. I told myself that this match could be my last in the AFCON. There was no tomorrow. It was today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thiaw later admitted that Senegal\u2019s brief walk-off was a mistake made in the heat of the moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t have reacted like that, but it\u2019s done. We apologise to football,\u201d he said. \u201cWe accept the referee\u2019s mistakes; it can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Man\u00e9 echoed a similar sentiment regarding the penalty decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPersonally, I don\u2019t think it was a penalty. But if the referee decides, you have to respect it,\u201d he explained. \u201cIn the end, we stayed, we fought, and we were rewarded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The victory confirms Senegal as the dominant force in African football, having now lifted two of the last three AFCON trophies, following their maiden triumph in 2022 against Egypt.<\/p>\n<p>For Morocco, the defeat was another painful chapter in a long continental drought.<\/p>\n<p>Their wait for a first AFCON title since 1976 continues, and many fans left the stadium before the final whistle on a cold, wet night. Head coach Walid Regragui refused to be drawn on his future after the match.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe lost on the details,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you miss a penalty, everything turns against you. It\u2019s unfortunate for the Moroccan people, but we\u2019ll come back stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Senegal turn their focus to upcoming global competitions, their dramatic triumph in Rabat will go down as one of the most memorable AFCON finals in recent history.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 4 -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Senegal #beat #Morocco #chaotic #AFCON #final<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; Sadio Mane hold up the AFCON cup after defeating host country Morocco Senegal were crowned Africa Cup of Nations&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47855"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47857,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47855\/revisions\/47857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}