Senegal wins 2025 AFCON after Dramatic Victory over Hosts Morocco

Senegal claimed the title of Africa Cup of Nations champions after a dramatic victory over Morocco, highlighted by Pape Gueye’s decisive goal in a tumultuous final marked by protests during the closing moments of regular play.

The match took a controversial turn when Morocco was awarded a penalty shortly after a goal was disallowed, prompting Senegal’s players and coach Pape Thiaw to leave the pitch in protest. This led to a stoppage of over 20 minutes, casting a shadow over the tournament’s finale.

When the match resumed, Morocco’s Brahim Diaz failed to convert the penalty, adding to the tension before Gueye scored a spectacular goal in extra time to secure Senegal’s win.

During extra time, Morocco rattled the crossbar, while Senegal squandered a golden opportunity to clinch victory, missing an open goal in a remarkable sequence of events.

As the match drew to a close, a lengthy VAR review took place after El Hadji Malick Diouf appeared to foul Diaz, intensifying the already high emotions. Senegal’s protest led them to withdraw from the pitch, causing further delays in a troubling finish to the game.

When play resumed, Diaz’s penalty attempt was saved by Edouard Mendy, denying Morocco the chance to equalize. The extraordinary narrative continued as Gueye, who had faced imminent defeat moments earlier, struck a stunning shot into the top corner early in extra time.

Morocco responded with Nayef Aguerd nearly scoring with a header and Achraf Hakimi testing Mendy with a strong shot, but Senegal remained resilient. In a pivotal moment, Cherif Ndiaye’s shot was saved but fell back to him, yet he shockingly missed the open goal, leaving the match on a knife-edge.