MBABANE – The wait goes on for Morocco.
Senegal have been crowned the kings of Africa, upsetting hosts and tournament favourites Morocco in a pulsating TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations final. Inside a capacity 69 500-seat Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Sunday night, the Teranga Lions roared loudest, denying the continent’s top-ranked side a historic homecoming.
Morocco had entered the night desperate to end a drought dating back to 1976—the only time the Atlas Lions won the title, in an era where the winner was decided by a round-robin group stage in Ethiopia. In contrast, Senegal, ranked second in Africa, arrived with the clinical experience of a side seeking their second crown in five years following their 2021 triumph.
The tournament began with 24 nations chasing a gargantuan, revised first-prize cheque of E163 million (US$10 million). While defending champions Ivory Coast faltered in the quarter-finals, Eswatini’s national team, Sihlangu, saw their AFCON dreams remain distant after a difficult qualifying campaign against Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique.
Morocco arrived in the final as overwhelming favourites after dispatching giants Cameroon and Nigeria. However, they were haunted by a modern ‘host nation curse’. Until Ivory Coast’s victory in early 2024, no host had won the trophy since Egypt in 2006. For 18 years, home advantage has often proven to be a burden rather than a blessing—and last night was no different.
Senegal dominated the early exchanges, nearly silencing the Rabat crowd just before half-time when Iliman Ndiaye peeled off his marker, only to be denied by a brilliant close-range save from Yassine Bounou.
The deadlock remained unbroken and deep into second-half stoppage time, the match erupted into chaos. Following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, Malick Diouf was adjudged to have brought down the tournament’s top scorer, Brahim Diaz, in the box.
The decision sparked a near-revolt. Senegal’s players and officials roared in disapproval, with some frustrated stars even heading for the tunnel in protest. It took the leadership of former Liverpool icon Sadio Mané to calm his teammates and usher them back onto the pitch.
In a moment of incredible tension, Diaz stepped up to take the penalty. Attempting a cheeky ‘Panenka-style’ scoop into the net, he was thwarted by Edouard Mendy, who made an easy save. It was the final kick of regulation time, sending the match into a frantic period of extra time.
Having survived the penalty scare, Senegal’s ‘Golden Generation’—featuring 10 members of the 2021 squad—found their clinical edge. Five minutes into extra time, they launched a devastating counter-attack that left the Moroccan defence in sixes and sevens. Pape Gueye seized the moment, firing a sensational strike from the edge of the area through a forest of bodies, the ball cannoning in off the woodwork.
The match, which kicked off at 9pm Eswatini time, dragged on until midnight as Morocco threw everything at the visitors. The woodwork and the heroics of Mendy preserved the narrow lead, while at the other end, Bounou produced one more brilliant save to deny Cherif Ndiaye a second goal for Senegal.
Against all odds, the Teranga Lions held firm to secure their second African title.
As the curtain falls on the showpiece in Morocco, the baton passes to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania for the 2027 edition. For Eswatini, the long road to the next tournament begins shortly
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