Senegal v Morocco
AFCON final marred by controversy but Senegal claim title
RABAT, Morocco -- An astonishing, emotional AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco was marred by controversy and supporter violence on Sunday, as Pape Gueye fired Senegal to the title in extra time.
Gueye struck the winner after Morocco's Brahim Díaz had missed a penalty in the 20th minute of second-half stoppage time as Senegal won 1-0.
The match was overshadowed by violent altercations between Senegal supporters and Moroccan authorities, as well as both teams, after a VAR decision in stoppage time.
Triumph guaranteed Senegal their second AFCON title following success in 2022 against Egypt, while a tournament that had promised to be the end of Morocco's 50-year wait for a Nations Cup title ultimately ends in bitter disappointment amidst shocking scenes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The contest descended into controversy and violence in second-half injury time after a pair of refereeing decisions that ruled out a Senegal goal at one end and then awarded a Morocco penalty at the other following a VAR assessment.
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala's second VAR ruling led to a melee between the two sets of technical teams and players, which bled into the terraces, with Senegal's Gaindé supporter group appearing to start jumping over the hoardings and onto the field in order to confront the officials and Moroccan delegation.
Stewards and riot police were forced to intervene, belatedly creating a barrier between the fans and the pitch, with projectiles being thrown onto the turf, and the Senegalese supporters jumping onto the electronic boardings and dismantling the display down one side of the pitch.
Several Senegal fans were removed by authorities, while one steward was taken out on a stretcher after appearing to sustain an injury to his upper body.
During the fracas, the Teranga Lions left the pitch upon instruction from head coach Pape Thiaw -- although it wasn't clear whether it was due to security reasons or in a protest at the referee's decision to belatedly award a penalty after El Hadji Malick Diouf put his hands on Diaz in the box in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Amidst further on-field scrapping between Ismael Saibari and Abdoulaye Seck, and a booking for Édouard Mendy for appearing to scuff up the penalty spot, Diaz eventually stepped up to take the spotkick, but, overspilling with emotion, lacked all conviction and his disastrous Panenka attempt was easily claimed by the Teranga Lions goalkeeper.
It took the game to extra time, where Gueye's thunderous strike was enough for Senegal to win their second AFCON crown, with Morocco missing out on the chance to end their 50-year wait for a continental title with fairytale victory on home soil.
One and a half hours earlier...
Morocco had Yacine Bounou to thank for the scores being level at the break, with the outstanding goalkeeper pulling off exceptional saves at either end of the first half to keep Senegal at bay.
In the fourth minute, Senegal ought to have gone ahead when Pape Gueye was picked out by Lamine Camara's cross at the backpost, with Bounou having initially misjudged the flight of the ball. However, the Morocco stopper readjusted in midair and swivelled his body in order to claw the midfielder's downward header around the post.
It was the clearest chance Morocco had faced from open play all tournament, as they received an early indication that Senegal would be a far sterner test than they've faced so far.
Nigeria didn't earn a corner against the tournament hosts in Wednesday's semifinal until extra time, but here, Senegal managed it in the opening moments of the contest.
Sadio Mané versus Achraf Hakimi emerged as a key early battle, with Senegal complaining early that the referee was overlooking Morocco infractions with an early challenge on their skipper not being penalised, while Iliman Ndiaye was warned by the referee after bringing down Noussair Mazraoui despite appearing to get the ball.
Abde Ezzalzouli, so lively since his introduction to the starting XI earlier in the tournament, again proved to be Morocco's most effective outlet, getting an early cross in after outpacing rightback Antoine Mendy, who had been forced to replace the outstanding Krépin Diatta at the last minute after the first-choice was taken sick during the warm-up.
Ismael Saibari had the next clear opportunity, bursting through as Senegal's defence appeared to open up for him before lashing wide on 13 minutes, before his blushes were spared by the offside flag soon afterwards.
Ayoub El Kaabi delayed in playing him in, and the PSV Eindhoven attacker was clearly offside by the time he sent a poor effort into the side netting.
Things became increasingly combative as the half progressed, with Camara booked for a sliding tackle on Neil El Aynaoui, with Bilal El Khannouss arguably fortunate not to have received the same punishment after his zealous tackle on Pape Gueye.
On 38 minutes, Bounou made his second major intervention of the half, sticking out a foot to deny Ndiaye after the Everton man was played in one on one beyond the outstretched Mazraoui by a delicious raking ball from Nicolas Jackson.
It was the first time Morocco had been truly prised apart by a team in open play during this tournament, with the palpable tension in the Prince Moulay Abdallah growing ever heavier as Senegal appeared increasingly unfazed by the relentless whistling from the majority home supporters whenever they touched the ball.
Morocco still enjoyed a threat of their own as the half came to a close, with Nayef Aguerd only getting the faintest of headed touches on an Ezzalzouli cross after evading his marker, being unable to divert the chance towards goal.
The defender had to be on hand to squeeze out the advancing Mane, dancing down a left-hand channel, moments later, as each side sought to end the half in the ascendancy, with Moroccan last gasp-defending blocking a Camara shot from the edge of the box in first-half stoppage time.
While Senegal missed two gilt-edged opportunities to open the scoring in the first '45, it was Morocco who spurned the first major chance of the second half, as El Khannouss raced down the right flank before crossing superbly for El Kaabi, advancing quickly towards goal.
The striker, typically so instinctive in tight spots, took a moment to open up his body to finish, allowed sprawling Edouard Mendy in to close the angles, with El Kaabi's side-footed effort ultimately flying wide of the target.
Less than five minutes later, El Kaabi had another glorious chance. Being picked out by Diaz in the area, he thumped a left-footed effort towards goal, but Mamadou Sarr -- in for the suspended Kalidou Koulibaly -- was able to slide in and block the fierce attempt.
The game was halted in the 66th minute following a clash of heads that left El Aynaoui requiring extended treatment after he leapt to meet Hakimi's cross, only to connect with Diouf, who had similar intentions.
The midfielder received treatment for the best part of seven minutes, with blood continuing to leak from his head wound and requiring at least one change of shirt, but was eventually permitted to continue as play resumed.
Morocco's momentum scarcely seemed impacted by the stoppage, and Ezzalzouli should have done better when found in space following a corner, with the wideman only able to send his shot down into the ground and into the arms of Mendy.
Approaching the final 10 minutes, each head coach turned to the bench, with Thiaw introducing Ismaïla Sarr and wonderkid Ibrahim Mbaye, while Seck came on in the place of Antoine Mendy, while Walid Regragui added Youssef En-Nesyri and Ouassama Targhalline for El Kaabi and El Khannouss.
An injury to Adam Masina in the 89th minute saw him leave the pitch in tears, with Jawad El Yamiq entering to partner Aguerd as he had done following Romain Saïss's injury in the tournament opener against Comoros.
With Morocco still regrouping after that setback, Bounou made his third big save of the contest, leaping to his right to paw away a curling effort from Mbaye, cutting inside and curling an effort towards goal, with Ezzalzouli then going straight up the other end and firing over on the swivel, under pressure from Seck.
Then to stoppage time, where refereeing decisions in both boxes left Senegalese fans incensed.
Senegal hadn't previously scored in three finals (2002, 2019, 2021), but thought they'd nabbed a winner in the third minute of eight minutes of stoppage time, when Seck's header rattled off the woodwork from a corner after beating Bounou, before Ismaila Sarr stopped to head home.
The referee immediately blew after determining that Seck had pushed Hakimi before taking his header, although the African Footballer of the Year appeared to go to ground remarkably easily.
This incensed Thiaw and the small group of Senegal fans in attendance, who were then further enraged when, after extended protests from Diaz, both to the linesman and the referee, Morocco were awarded a penalty in the 96th minute when Diouf's arms on Diaz appeared to impede him as a corner came in.
Again, it appeared to be a soft decision going the way of the hosts, and this proved too much for Thiaw, his technical staff, and eventually, the Senegalese supporters, to take, prompting the clashes that took over 10 minutes to resolve.
Diaz's missed penalty stunned the over-66,000 in attendance in Rabat, or at least those who hand't been escorted out by police, with only a brief moment of pause before the contest resumed for extra time.
Morocco, appearing utterly windswept and disoriented after Diaz's fluffed penalty, were in disarray as Senegal finally opened the scoring for real, with Gueye meeting Idrissa Gana Gueye's layoff to slam a thunderous effort beyond Bounou with his left to turn the tide back in the Teranga Lions' favour.
Thereafter, the contest was frenetic and fierce, with both En-Nesyri and fellow substitute Hamza Igamane appearing to target Mendy, perhaps in response to his antics during the extended pause, but the goalkeeper holding his nerve to deny Diaz, while En-Nesyri missed a glorious chance from six yards after he could only meet Ezzalzouli's cross with a wayward header.
An Aguerd header then hit the crossbar with a header early in the second period of extra time as Morocco threw caution to the wind in search of an equaliser, before Mendy was called into action again as Senegal hung on by a thread.
They still offered menace down the other end though, as Morocco became increasingly disjointed, with Bounou forced into a low save to deny substitute Cherif Ndiaye, who couldn't believe he'd failed to kill the target as the keeper stuck out a fingertip to prevent the striker from following up.
Gueye also fired another thumping effort straight at Bounou as things increasingly broke down, while the fight slowly ebbed away from Morocco as the clock ticked down.
On the final whistle, Senegal ran over to celebrate with their besieged supporters, still barracked by multiplied rows of riot police and stadium officials, while Morocco's players, shattered, collapsed to the ground apparently in a collective state of shock.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo
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