This had been, by general agreement, the most predictable, least dramatic Cup of Nations in living memory. And that was true, until injury time in the final, when a video assistant referee decision contrived to produce perhaps the most ludicrous finale to any major final in history.
Senegal won it, but that is a tiny detail in the denouement that erupted. There was a walk-off in protest, a missed Panenka and a brilliant winning goal from Pape Gueye. When the final whistle went, players from both sides collapsed to the turf. For Morocco, extending the 50-year wait since their last Cup of Nations, this was agony.
Written by Jonathan Wilson at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jan/18/senegal-morocco-afcon-final-match-report under the title “Pape Gueye fires Senegal to Afcon glory against Morocco after walk-off chaos”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
