Oluwadamilola Olanrewaju
Senegal are champions of Africa again, but the 2025 AFCON final in Rabat will be remembered as much for its chaos as for its football.
On Sunday, January 18, 2026, the Lions of Teranga edged hosts Morocco 1–0 after extra time at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, sealing the trophy in a match defined by a late VAR storm, prolonged stoppages, and raw tension inside a packed arena.
For long stretches, it was a tight, cautious final, two well-organised teams refusing to blink. Morocco carried the energy of a home crowd desperate to see history, while Senegal looked calm and streetwise, comfortable playing the game on their own terms. Chances came, but neither side could land a decisive punch in normal time.
Then came the moment that flipped the atmosphere from tense to explosive.
Deep into stoppage time, the referee went to VAR and awarded Morocco a penalty, a decision Senegal players strongly disagreed with.
What followed was a breakdown of order: protests, heated exchanges, and a stoppage that dragged on for well over ten minutes as Senegal’s players briefly left the pitch before match officials and security helped get both teams back to restart play.
Inside the stadium, the temperature rose. The crowd reacted. The players argued. The clock stopped making sense in the way finals sometimes do when emotions spill over into the officiating process.
Morocco, handed a golden chance to win it at the death, could not take it. Brahim Díaz stepped up and tried an audacious Panenka-style penalty, but Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy read it calmly and saved.
The miss did not just keep Senegal alive; it poured fuel on an already burning controversy and sent the final into extra time with both teams emotionally drained and the crowd still buzzing.
Extra time began in a charged atmosphere, and Senegal were the ones who responded with clarity.
In the 94th minute, Pape Gueye produced the defining moment of the night, striking from distance with power and precision to beat Morocco’s goalkeeper and put Senegal ahead.
After all the noise, all the stoppages, and all the confusion, Senegal finally had something concrete: a goal Morocco had to chase.
Morocco threw everything forward. They pushed, probed, and came agonisingly close, at one point hitting the crossbar and forcing late saves as Senegal defended with urgency and discipline. But the equaliser never came.
When the final whistle arrived, it was Senegal celebrating, and Morocco left to wrestle with what might have been, especially that late penalty chance.
Beyond the result, this final will reignite an old AFCON debate: how VAR is used, how decisions are communicated, and how match control is maintained when a huge call is made at the most sensitive moment.
VAR is meant to reduce clear errors, but in Rabat the process itself became the headline, because the penalty decision, the extended delay, and the temporary walk-off shifted attention away from the football and onto the spectacle.
For Senegal, though, the storyline ends with silverware. This win delivers their second AFCON title in three editions, confirming them as one of the most consistent powers in African football right now, built on structure, big-game experience, and a goalkeeper who stayed composed when the stadium was anything but calm.
For Morocco, the pain cuts deeper because it happened at home. They were chasing a title that has avoided them for decades, with their last AFCON crown dating back to 1976.
And in a final where fine margins mattered, their best chance arrived from twelve yards, only for it to slip away.
In the coming days, attention may turn to possible disciplinary outcomes from the protest sequence, as organisers and football authorities review what happened during the stoppage and the brief moment both teams left the pitch.
Source: BusinessElitesAfrica | Read the Full Story…
