Morocco 0 – 1 Senegal: Pape Gueye decides the AFCON Final against the hosts; Brahim misses from the spot

January 20, 2026 By Johan Curtis No Comments 4 minutes

News: Senegal defeats host Morocco 1-0 in controversial AFCON final. The hosts were defeated in a campaign they were the clear favorites to win, after a clash that will go down in history as the most entertaining AFCON Final. 

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A highly entertaining African Cup of Nations concluded in Morocco last night, with the hosts being beaten by Sadio Mane’s Senegal in extra time of the game. This marked Senegal’s second AFCON title, while the hosts cried tears of sorrow on losing the final. 

Match Information

• Date: January 18
• Day: Sunday
• Venue: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco
• Score: Morocco 0 – 1 Senegal
• Referee: Jean Jacques Ndala

Morocco vs Senegal Lineups

Senegal (4 – 3 – 3)

Manager

Pape Thiaw

Starting Eleven

16 Edouard Mendy (GK)

24 Antoine Mendy

2 Mamadou Sarr

19 Moussa Niakhate

25 El Hadji Diouf

8 Lamine Camara

5 Idrissa Gueye

13 Iliman-Cheikh Ndiaye

26 Pape Gueye

11 Nicolas Jackson

10 Sadio Mane (C)

Substitutes

1 Yehvann Diouf

28 Mamadou Camara

6 Pathe Ciss

9 Boulaye Dia

20 Habibou Diallo

15 Krepin Diatta

14 Ismail Jakobs

27 Ibrahim Mbaye

12 Cherif Ndiaye

22 Ousseynou Niang

21 Cheikh Sabaly

18 Ismaila Sarr

17 Pape Sarr

4 Abdoulaye Seck

23 Mory Diaw

Morocco (4 – 1 – 4 – 1)

Manager

W Regragui

Starting Eleven

1 Yassine Bounou (GK)

2 Achraf Hakimi (C)

5 Nayef Aguerd

25 Adam Masina

3 Noussair Mazraoui

17 Abdessamad Ezzalzouli

24 Neil El Aynaoui

11 Ismael Saibari

23 Bilal El Khannous

20 Ayoub El Kaabi

10 Brahim Diaz

Substitutes

22 El Mehdi Al Harrar

27 Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal

16 Ilias Akhomach

4 Sofyan Amrabat

28 Youssef Belammari

15 Mohamed Chibi

18 Jawad El Yamiq

19 Youssef En Nesyri

7 Hamza Igamane

9 Soufiane Rahimi

6 Romain Saiss

26 Anass Saleh-Eddine

21 Chemsdine Talbi

14 Oussama Targhaline

12 Munir Mohamedi

Match Stats: Morocco vs Senegal

Senegal vs Morocco Match Report

Rabat was ready to award the Moroccan international men’s team as the winners of AFCON 2026, until Senegal flipped the script. After what looked like a fairytale tournament for the hosts, it was only a befitting end to the cup with Senegal beating Morocco, with the hosts’ antics against every opponent they faced causing a mass uproar for their behaviour. Here’s the complete match report: 

First Half

The opening 45 minutes were open and tense, with Senegal creating the clearer chances despite Morocco’s home advantage.

Yassine Bounou twice kept Morocco level, making excellent saves from efforts by Pape Gueye and Nicolas Jackson.

Just before the interval, centre-back Nayef Aguerd had Morocco’s best chance of the half, but he failed to convert from close range, a miss that foreshadowed their frustrating night.

Second Half

Morocco was awarded a late penalty when El Hadji Malick Diouf was penalised for putting his hands on Brahim Díaz in the area, a decision Senegal’s players viewed as hugely controversial.

In protest, most of the Senegal team briefly left the pitch for the dressing room before returning for the spot kick, underlining the emotional temperature of the final.

Brahim Díaz then had a golden chance to win the trophy in normal time.

​Rather than a precise penalty, he attempted a panenka, dinking the ball straight into the hands of Édouard Mendy. That miss completely swung momentum back towards Senegal and will likely be remembered as the turning point of the final.

Extra-Time

Just four minutes into the extra period, Pape Gueye produced the decisive moment, finishing superbly to put Senegal ahead and stun the home supporters.

From there, Senegal managed the game intelligently: they slowed the tempo, defended compactly, and denied Morocco clear sights of goal, with Mendy commanding his box whenever Morocco tried to load crosses into the area.

The Final Say

Senegal won the AFCON 2026 final after defeating Morocco in a chaotic match that will go down in history as one of the most entertaining finals in the history of football. The hosts lost the final against Mane’s men, after Brahim Diaz missed his penalty, which took 16 minutes to be executed, after Senegal left the pitch and came back to “play like men”. This loss would be a damning loss for the hosts, as they miss out on a major trophy in more than 50 years. 

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