By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, PAV – The Teranga Lions of Senegal were crowned champions of Africa for the second time in their history after edging hosts Morocco 1–0 after extra time in a gripping TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations final played in Rabat on Sunday night.
The decisive moment came just three minutes into extra time when midfielder Pape Gueye produced a moment of brilliance, unleashing a powerful left-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area that flew past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. The goal sent the Senegalese bench into wild celebrations and stunned a packed stadium that had been hoping to witness a historic home triumph.
Morocco had been agonisingly close to settling the contest at the end of regulation time. Deep into stoppage time, the Atlas Lions were awarded a penalty following a VAR review, raising expectations among the home supporters. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edward Mendy emerged as the hero, saving Brahim Diaz’s spot-kick and forcing the final into extra time.
From the opening whistle, the match lived up to its billing, with both sides fully aware of the stakes. Morocco was chasing its first Africa Cup of Nations title in over 50 years, while Senegal aimed to reclaim the crown it first won in 2021 and reaffirm its growing dominance on the continental stage.
Senegal started the match on the front foot, dictating the tempo and carving out the clearer chances in the first half. Morocco’s goalkeeper Bounou was called into action early, reacting sharply to keep out Pape Gueye’s back-post header from a corner before producing a superb one-on-one save to deny Iliman Ndiaye.
At the other end, Morocco struggled to impose itself in the early stages, though they came close to breaking the deadlock five minutes before the break. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli whipped in a dangerous cross across the face of the goal, but central defender Nayef Aguerd narrowly failed to make contact.
The Atlas Lions returned from the interval with renewed energy and intent. Their best opportunity came when Bilal El Khannouss split the Senegal defence with a perfectly weighted pass to Ayoub El Kaabi, but the forward could not keep his effort on target.
Morocco continued to press relentlessly, pushing Senegal deeper and searching for a decisive breakthrough. Yet, despite their territorial dominance, the hosts lacked sharpness in the final third. Senegal remained dangerous on the counter-attack and nearly struck late in normal time. In the 89th minute, substitute Ibrahim Mbaye curled an effort toward the far corner, only for Bounou to produce another full-stretch save to keep the scores level.
With no breakthrough after 90 minutes, the final moved into extra time, and Senegal wasted little time in making their advantage count. A turnover in midfield saw captain Sadio Mané cleverly back-heel the ball into the path of Idrissa Gana Gueye, who released Pape Gueye. Showing strength, composure and precision, the midfielder drove to the edge of the area before firing an unstoppable shot beyond Bounou.
Morocco threw everything forward in search of an equaliser. Diaz nearly redeemed his earlier penalty miss with a close-range effort that was again saved by Mendy. At the same time, Youssef En-Nesyri came inches away with a diving header that drifted narrowly wide.
Senegal could even have doubled their lead late on, but Bounou once again came to Morocco’s rescue, denying Pape Cherif Ndiaye from close range, with the substitute also failing to convert the rebound.
TotalEnergies Man of the Match, goalscorer Pape Gueye, expressed his joy after the final whistle. “I am very happy to win the final; it was a complicated match,” he said. “After Morocco missed the penalty, we stayed focused, played our game, and showed Senegalese football. Scoring in a final is a moment of pride for me. Most importantly, the Senegal national team now has a second star.”
