BY CHRISTIAN EZE With Agency Report
SENEGAL have defiled all odds to win the Morocco 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals scoring the only goal in the first half of the extra time through Gueye in the 94th minute of play thereby, making the all exalted Atlas Lions of Morocco to be in terms with reality as they have been living in a dream world and with sense of lordship over the other competing nations.
Senegal beat Morocco to win the Africa Cup of Nations for a second time – but only after the final was overshadowed when they temporarily refused to play when the hosts were awarded a controversial stoppage time-penalty with the match goalless.
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw tried to usher his team off the field in the 98th-minute when the hosts were awarded a spot-kick when defender El Hadji Malick Diouf brought down Brahim Diaz.
The Real Madrid forward stepped up to take the penalty when the players returned to the field, but had his attempted Panenka penalty saved.
Thiaw, 44, was irritated with referee Jean Jacques Ndala – who awarded the penalty after reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor – for ruling out a goal for his side moments earlier.
Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr had bundled home from close-range, but his effort was chalked off after a foul from Abdoulaye Seck on Achraf Hakimi.
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy went to the dressing room, but returned to the field with Sadio Mane trying to encourage his players to finish the game.
Ndala blew the full-time whistle immediately after and Senegal opened the scoring through Pape Gueye four minutes into extra time.
There is very little positive to say about the end of this game, but one person to come out of it well is Mane.
He was the one Senegal player who clearly did not want to walk down the tunnel and was telling his team-mates to come back out. He also walked over to the Senegal fans after the full-time whistle, begging them to calm down.
The end of the controversial AFCON final in Morocco left the host country in a tall dream of winning the continental fiesta despite the slogan of hosting to win which could not be achieved for mere wishes nor by inexplicable assistance through poor officiating .
It is about 50 years Morocco won the Nations Cup and would have to wait longer as their hop will be for another edition but not on a platter of gold.
