Senegal have been crowned Africa Cup of Nations champions after one of the most chaotic and perplexing conclusions to a major final in football history.
After what had been a frantic but goalless game so far, the clash descended into carnage in second-half stoppage time after two controversial decisions against Senegal, the second being a last-gasp penalty for Morocco, led to manager Pape Thiaw dragging his team off the pitch and into the dressing room in protest.
Teranga Lions talisman Sadio Mane remained on the touchline before retrieving his team after a lengthy delay, with referee Jean-Jacques Ndala losing complete control of the match.
Brahim Diaz, who went down softly to win the spot-kick, then stepped up to take the penalty in the 24th minute of additional time, only to see his abysmal ‘Panenka’ attempt float into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, with the game therefore forced into extra time.
Pape Sarr went on to score the winner in stunning fashion for Senegal in the 94th minute, with his rocket of an effort proving the difference and denying the Atlas Lions a first Afcon title since 1976.
Here’s how it all unfolded.
Senegal’s disallowed goal
Senegal thought they had snatched victory at the death when Ismaila Sarr bundled the ball home in the second minute of stoppage time, heading home after Abdoulaye Seck saw his effort ricochet off the post. However, the whistle went very quickly for a soft foul on Achraf Hakimi, who had been brushed off by Seck as the Paris Saint-Germain star tried to hinder the defender.
Thiaw and the Senegal players were clearly outraged by Ndala’s decision, which did not appear to receive much of a VAR check. The game swiftly got back underway with the score still goalless.
Morocco’s controversial penalty
Three minutes later, Diaz went down in the box under the challenge of left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf, claiming he had been tugged to the ground by the West Ham man. With Diaz vehemently protesting that he had been fouled, the incident was taken to VAR before Ndala was called to the monitor.
Officials and players jostled with each other while the referee consulted the touchline screen and when Ndala returned to the pitch to award a last-minute spot-kick, giving Morocco a golden chance to snatch Afcon glory, the final plunged into chaos.
Senegal’s walk-off protest
Thiaw ordered his players off the pitch in protest to what was another soft decision against his Senegal side, initially keeping them on the touchline before dragging them into the dressing room. A handful of Morocco players remained in the box, waiting to take their potentially match-winning penalty as they consulted the referee.
In the midst of the mayhem, Senegal fans clashed with security as they tried to invade the pitch, with some seen being forcibly carried away. Senegal talisman Mane, however, stayed on the pitch in an act of defiance against his manager’s orders, with the former Liverpool winger clearly keen to get the match restarted. Yet with the Senegal team nowhere to be seen, the outcome of the final hung in the balance.
Senegal return to the field
Mane ran into the dressing room to retrieve his players and after a 16-minute hiatus, the Senegal squad returned to the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium turf to allow Morocco to take their penalty. In what he says was his last ever Afcon match, Mane was evidently instrumental on getting his teammates back on the pitch, with Thiaw eventually giving in and similarly instructing his players to return.
Diaz’s ‘Panenka’ miss
Diaz, the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, stepped up to the plate in the 24th minute of stoppage time, with further delays coming about as goalkeeper Mendy persistently came off his line to speak to the Real Madrid midfielder, perhaps in a bid to put him off.
When Diaz eventually took the spot-kick, he inexplicably tried a ‘Panenka’-style chip and has weak penalty sailed tamely into the arms of Mendy, passing up on the opportunity to deliver Morocco a first Afcon title in 50 years. The reaction of the Senegal players - hardly celebrating before turning and running up the other end - raised the eyebrows of viewers.
Diaz was later shown in tears after the match and was completely dejected as he received his golden boot award from Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Pape Gueye’s stunning winner
With Diaz’s miss forcing the game to extra time, Thiaw's men, fuelled by a sense of injustice, regrouped and forced their way in front when Gueye surged forward and blasted a left-foot piledriver past Morocco goalkeeper Bono and in off the underside of the crossbar.
Bono later denied Cherif Ndiaye a second with a stunning double save and Gueye's contribution ultimately proved decisive.
