{"id":1686,"date":"2026-01-18T23:13:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T23:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1686"},"modified":"2026-01-18T23:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T23:36:37","slug":"senegal-stun-hosts-morocco-to-win-afcon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1686","title":{"rendered":"Senegal stun hosts Morocco to win AFCON"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RABAT<\/strong> <\/em> <\/em>\u2013 IN a pulsating climax to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Senegal stunned hosts Morocco 1-0 in extra time to lift the coveted continental trophy in front of a packed crowd of 69,000 passionate fans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Teranga Lions\u2019 second AFCON triumph \u2014 their first since 2021 \u2014 came after a thrilling, razor-tight finale that ebbed and flowed with drama, controversy and edge-of-the-seat moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the first whistle, both sides showed intent. Senegal enjoyed early chances through Pape Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, forcing Morocco\u2019s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou into timely saves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morocco, buoyed by fierce home support, responded in waves, controlling possession in spells and probing through the creative feet of Brahim D\u00edaz and the dynamism of Achraf Hakimi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With regulation time drawing to a close and the score still goalless, emotional tension reached fever pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senegal thought they had taken the lead in the 92nd minute, only for the goal to be controversially disallowed for a foul in the build-up \u2014 a decision that sparked outrage among the travelling Teranga supporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the dying moments of added time, VAR intervention awarded Morocco a penalty after a challenge by Senegal\u2019s El Hadji Malick Diouf on Brahim D\u00edaz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision provoked a stunning reaction: Senegal\u2019s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest, led by coach Pape Bouna Thiaw, in disbelief at the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only after impassioned pleas from veteran midfielder Sadio Man\u00e9 did the team return \u2014 a moment that underlined the emotional stakes of the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When play resumed, D\u00edaz stepped up for Morocco. With the weight of a nation on his shoulders, the Real Madrid star attempted a cheeky Panenka \u2014 but Senegal keeper \u00c9douard Mendy stood firm, diving low to his left to make a crucial save that kept the score level and sent the match into extra time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just minutes into extra time, Senegal seized their moment. A swift counter-attack saw Idrissa Gueye release Pape Gueye, who surged forward and unleashed a thunderous shot from the edge of the box that cannoned into the top right corner past a helpless Bounou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stadium exploded \u2014 but this time in stunned silence among the Moroccan faithful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morocco pressed for a response, with Nayef Aguerd\u2019s powerful header rattling the crossbar, but Senegal\u2019s defence and Mendy held firm to deny the hosts an equaliser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gueye\u2019s extra-time strike proved decisive, and he was deservedly named*Man of the Match for a performance that combined grit, vision and clinical execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, Senegal\u2019s resilience under pressure, their ability to absorb waves of Moroccan attacks and the timely heroics of Mendy and Gueye secured a memorable victory, adding another glorious chapter to their growing legacy in African football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– CAJ News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RABAT \u2013 IN a pulsating climax to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Senegal stunned hosts Morocco 1-0 in extra time to lift the coveted continental trophy in front of a packed crowd of 69,000 passionate fans. The Teranga Lions\u2019 second AFCON triumph \u2014 their first since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,19,110,13],"tags":[311],"class_list":["post-1686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-football","category-football-sports","category-sports","tag-senegal-are-the-new-african-cup-of-nations-afcon-champions-after-beating-morocco-1-0"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy-300x169.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy-768x432.jpg","large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy.jpg","post-thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"administrator","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"RABAT \u2013 IN a pulsating climax to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Senegal stunned hosts Morocco 1-0 in extra time to lift the coveted continental trophy in front of a packed crowd of 69,000 passionate fans. The Teranga Lions\u2019 second AFCON triumph \u2014 their first since […]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Featured","Football","Football","Sports"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":35,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy.jpg",1024,576,false],"medium":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Senegal-win-the-AFCON-trophy-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"administrator","author_link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?author=2"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"Featured<\/a> Football<\/a> Football<\/a> Sports<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1686"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1690,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1686\/revisions\/1690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}