Senegal made history by winning their second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title after beating host nation Morocco on January 18, 2025.
Ismaila Sarr’s goal was disallowed after the referee ruled that there had been a foul on Achraf Hakimi prior to the cross that led to the goal.
In a dramatic turn of events, the host nation was awarded a penalty in the dying minutes of added time when Brahim Díaz was pulled down in the box by a Senegalese defender.
Senegal defeat hosts Morocco to win 2025 AFCON
Before the spot-kick, Senegalese players were furious with the decision and attempted to boycott the match by staging a walk-off, but Sadio Mané intervened and convinced his teammates to return to the field.
The Teranga Lions showed resilience, holding the Atlas Lions to a 0–0 draw at full-time after both sides failed to break the deadlock.
Despite the controversy, Real Madrid attacker Brahim Díaz missed the penalty, as his Panenka attempt was easily saved by Édouard Mendy, sending the game into extra time.
In the early stages of the first half of extra time, Pape Gueye struck a powerful shot into the top corner from the edge of the box to secure the victory.
Senegal have now won their second Africa Cup of Nations trophy, having previously lost in the 2002 and 2019 finals to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and the Desert Foxes of Algeria, respectively.
Morocco, on the other hand, have lost their second AFCON final, having also been defeated in the 2004 edition against Tunisia.
Watch the match highlights below:
🎥 HIGHLIGHTS: 🇸🇳 1–0 🇲🇦
Pape Gueye does it for Senegal. The #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 champions. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/GCGC1ULEFf
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 19, 2026
SB/EB
