RABAT, Morocco — The Africa Cup of Nations final went to extra time after finishing 0-0 in a chaotic end that saw Senegal players walk off the field when host Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty.
Senegal would go on to win the game 1-0 in extra time to lift their second AFCON title and second in five years after winning it in 2021, but the nature of the defeat did not go down well with Morocco and their coach Walid Regragui.
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Senegal coach Pape Thiaw led his team off the field Sunday while Moroccan fans celebrated and whistled amid wild scenes on the pitch with players from both sides arguing with one another over the VAR call that handed the hosts the late penalty.
The Senegal players eventually returned following 14 minutes’ delay in play after talisman Sadio Mane went into the locker room to encourage them to come back into the match.
Édouard Mendy then saved Brahim Díaz‘s penalty while more Senegal fans tried storming the field. Tempers also flared in the press box with journalists fighting among themselves.
After the match, Morocco coach Regragui was critical of Thiaw’s decision to pull his team from the field and defended Diaz on his missed penalty.
“I think a lot of time passed before [Brahim] was able to take the penalty, and this put him off,” Regragui said. “The match we had was shameful for Africa.
Senegal and Morocco players argue during the AFCON final in Rabat. Getty Images
“When a head coach asks his players to leave the pitch, when he’s saying things that already started in the press conference [before the match, when Senegal accused Morocco of unsporting tactics]…he needs to stay class, in victory as well as in defeat.
“What Pape [Thiaw] did tonight doesn’t honor Africa. He’s an African champion now, so he can say what he wants, but they stopped the match for over 10 minutes.
“That doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit [the penalty], he hit it like that and we have to own it. We need to look forward now, and accept that Brahim missed it.”
It was referee Jean-Jacques Ndala’s VAR ruling on a foul on Diaz that led to a melee between the two sets of technical teams and players, which bled into the terraces. Senegal’s Gaindé supporter group appeared to start jumping over the hoardings and onto the field in order to confront the officials and Moroccan delegation.
Stewards and riot police were forced to intervene, belatedly creating a barrier between the fans and the pitch, with projectiles being thrown onto the turf, and the Senegalese supporters jumping onto the electronic boardings and dismantling the display down one side of the pitch.
Several Senegal fans were removed by authorities, while one steward was taken out on a stretcher after appearing to sustain an injury to his upper body.
During the fracas, the Teranga Lions left the pitch upon instruction from head coach Thiaw — although it wasn’t clear whether it was due to security reasons or in a protest at the referee’s decision to belatedly award a penalty after El Hadji Malick Diouf put his hands on Diaz in the box in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Amidst further on-field scrapping between Ismael Saibari and Abdoulaye Seck, and a booking for Mendy for appearing to scuff up the penalty spot, Diaz eventually stepped up to take the spot kick, but lacked all conviction and his disastrous panenka attempt was easily gathered by the Senegal goalkeeper.
Minutes into the first extra-time period, Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored a stunning goal from just outside the area to give his side a lead it would not relinquish.
ESPN writer Ed Dove contributed to this report, while information from The Associated Press was also used.
