The Senegal team won the African Cup of Nations, beating the hosts of the tournament from Morocco (1:0) in an incredible final. The main events in the match unfolded in added time to the second half, containing real drama.

The former Dynamo player led the team off the field

African football has always had its own special atmosphere. Representatives of the hottest continent have repeatedly scandalized at the world championships, threatening to withdraw from the tournament due to disagreements with their federations regarding bonuses. There were even more wild stories at the African Cups. For example, in 1986, at a tournament in Egypt, tanks and armored vehicles were on duty right at the stadiums due to the threat of a riot in the country. Constant revolutions and civil wars in different countries often did not allow teams to simply go to the final tournament.

Constantly accusing rivals of witchcraft and attracting shamans is another distinctive feature of African get-togethers. So in 2000, in the quarterfinal match, one employee of the Nigerian Football Federation snatched an amulet from Senegalese goalkeeper Tony Silva right during the game. This stopped the game for several minutes, a skirmish broke out on the field, but the amulet was never returned. Senegal then conceded two goals in 7 minutes and was eliminated from the tournament.

Until the finals, CAF 2025 was calm in terms of scandalous stories, which was facilitated by the location of the tournament, which was hosted by one of the most developed African countries. But the decisive match will certainly go down in the history of not only continental, but also world football. It seems like such an incredible ending and denouement has never happened in the finals of major tournaments.

Morocco – Senegal / Photo: © NurPhoto / Contributor / NurPhoto / Gettyimages.ru

The final match between Morocco and Senegal was not full of dangerous moments. The teams acted as carefully as possible, for fear of making a fatal mistake. The score remained 0:0 for 90 minutes. It was heading towards extra time, but then the Senegalese managed to break through the most reliable defense of the tournament. Morocco conceded only once in the previous six matches, and was unable to cope with a corner kick from the Senegalese. The Lions’ joy did not last long: the main referee of the match, Jean-Jacques Ndala, saw a very dubious foul on the part of the Senegalese national team player, after which the main Moroccan star Ashraf Hakimi found himself on the lawn. In fact, the defender’s fall looked spectacular, and apparently there was no violation of the rules on the part of the opponent, but the goal was canceled in any case.

The referee from the DR Congo was again in the spotlight within a few minutes. A corner kick again provoked heated debate. After serving to Brahim Diaz, the Senegalese defender knocked the Real Madrid forward onto the lawn. The referee ignored this episode, but then the VAR assistants invited him to the monitor. After studying the replay, Ndala pointed to the spot, and then it began!

Jean Jacques Ndala / Photo: © NurPhoto / Contributor / NurPhoto / Gettyimages.ru

Perhaps there really was a foul, but in the context of the Senegal goal that had just been disallowed, the referee’s decision seemed the height of injustice. The Senegalese players and coaching staff were beside themselves with rage and tried to reason with the referee for several minutes. As a result, the team’s head coach Pap Tiav, who played for Dynamo Moscow at the beginning of his playing career, instructed his team to leave the field. The case smelled like a huge scandal, but soon the leader of the Senegalese team, Sadio Mane, gave the command to his partners to return to the field.

Did Diaz miss the penalty on purpose?

It came to the execution of the penalty only in the 24th added minute! The crowded stadium in Rabat froze in anticipation of the decisive blow, which was to be performed by Brahim Diaz. The long debate that preceded the execution of the penalty kick certainly did not benefit the striker. Diaz, 26, has never been a full-time penalty taker in his career. His entire history with shots from the spot was limited to two converted attempts for Morocco. At a key moment, Brahim decided to shoot the same way as Fedor Smolov in the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals against Croatia. The result was the same. After an indistinct “panenka” kick, the ball flew into the goalkeeper’s hands.

Brahim Diaz / Photo: © DeFodi Images / Contributor / DeFodi Images / Gettyimages.ru

Even as the match progressed, conspiracy theories began to arise that Diaz had deliberately missed the penalty, thus showing incredible gentlemanliness. If this was really the case, then he did it not of his own free will, but on the instructions of a coach or a representative of the federation, as can be judged by the player’s further reaction. Diaz had no face after the miss, and the head coach hastened to remove the demoralized player from the field. In shock, the forward sat on the bench for the entire extra time and in the same state came out to receive the prize for the best scorer of the tournament.

After the game, Mendy expressed confidence that at the moment of the strike, Diaz was not thinking about any Fair Play.

“He tried to punch in Panenka style, but I stayed on my feet. I managed to help the team and keep them in the game. Yes, he wanted to score, but I saved the shot. We need to leave the controversy behind. We can be proud of ourselves tonight,” the goalkeeper said.

Brahim Diaz / Photo: © Anadolu / Contributor / Anadolu / Gettyimages.ru

The episode with the missed penalty demoralized not only Diaz, but also the entire Moroccan national team. The Senegalese found a second wind and opened the scoring at the beginning of the first extra period. Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye finished off a brilliant counter-attack with a powerful strike. The Moroccans had a chance to win back, but after Aguerda’s shot the ball hit the crossbar. The hosts had to finish the match shorthanded, as Hamza Igaman, who came on in the 98th minute, was injured, and Walid Regragui had no more substitutes at his disposal.

Football players of the Senegal national team / Photo: © Anadolu / Contributor / Anadolu / Gettyimages.ru

Morocco, dreaming of its first African Cup gold in 50 years, had to settle for only second place. Senegal, which participated in the third of the last four finals, won the main trophy of the continent for the second time in history.