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In a night that African football fans will never forget, Senegal snatched the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title from host nation Morocco after a valuable 1-0 extra-time win over the Atlas Lions,in a final marked by unprecedented chaos, heated protests, a temporary player walk-off, and heroic intervention from captain Sadio Mané.
The match kicked off at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat in front of more than 60,000 spectators, under an atmosphere full of anticipation and pressure on the hosts who were dreaming of ending their title drought since 1976. The two regular halves passed in a tightly-controlled defensive battle, with few clear chances, ending 0-0 despite Morocco’s repeated attempts and Senegal’s quick replies led
The real drama began in the final minutes of regular time. First, the referee disallowed a Senegal goal in the 90+ minute after a VAR review due to a foul, which sparked anger among Senegalese players. Then, in the 90+8 minute, the referee awarded a controversial penalty for Morocco after a push on Díaz inside the box by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
This led to intense protests from Senegal’s players, and coach Pape Thiaw instructed the team to leave the pitch in protest. The players actually walked off for several long minutes amid chaos in the stands and attempts by some Senegalese fans to storm the pitch. But Sadio Mané the captain and legend remained alone at first, then managed to convince his teammates to return, saying later that he wanted to “finish the match with honor like real men.”
Both teams returned, and in the 114th minute (during the extended stoppage time), Brahim Díaz took the penalty with a bold Panenka attempt… but goalkeeper Édouard Mendy read it perfectly and saved it, keeping the match level.
Extra time began, and in the 94th minute of it, Senegal took advantage of the psychological momentum: Idrissa Gana Gueye delivered a wonderful pass, and Pape Gueye (Villarreal) surged forward and fired a rocket into the top corner, scoring the only goal of the match.
The game ended with Senegal lifting their second title in history (after 2021), while Morocco walked off as losers despite a heroic defensive performance throughout the tournament. The match was described as “chaotic” and “unprecedented” in the history of African finals, with criticism of refereeing decisions and widespread praise for Mané’s sportsmanship.
