Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 in the final of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in what could go down as the most dramatic game in the history of the competition, Softfootball reports.
To get to the final, the Terenga Lions of defeated Egypt 1-0 in the semifinal while Morocco beat Nigeria after penalties. On Sunday night, while Senegal was looking for their third AFCON title, the Atlas Lions searched for their second.
CAF on their official X handle, congratulating Senegal for winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a special photo and caption. They posted:
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐀 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒. 🇸🇳🏆
Senegal almost took the lead from a corner as Pape Gueye meets the ball with a thumping header, but Moroccan keeper Yassine Bounou, who initially misjudged the cross, recovers to block with his chest.
The Moroccan goalkeeper was kept busy as he was quick off his line to deal with a through ball meant for Sadio Mane and prevented danger. On the other end, Morocco failed to have a shot on target as the first half ended goalless. The second half was filled with tense moments as both sides went for the win. Morocco had a chance to score in the 59th minute as Bilal El Khannouss curled in a superb shot past Mendy in goal for Senegal but his effort went narrowly wide.
Neil El Aynaoui had a nasty caught on his head after a clash during a corner kick and after treatment on the pitch. He returned and resumed play. Two changes came on for the Moroccans as Ayoub El Kaabi was replaced by Youssef En-Nesyri and Oussama Targhalline came on for Bilal El Khannouss.
Senegal thought that they had won the match as Abdoulaye Seck won a tussle against Hakimi to head a corner that was pushed out by Morocco goalkeeper but Crystal Palace forward Ismaïla Sarr scored the rebound. However, the goal was ruled out for a foul on Hakimi.
At the other end, Morocco won a penalty but all hell was let loose as the Senegalese walked off the pitch but it took Saido Mane to encourage the players back on the pitch. The penalty was eventually taken by Ibrahim Diaz and missed as it felt into the hands of Mendy.
Senegal goalkeeper, Édouard Mendy had a special moment after the match as he celebrated in front of the camera with fans as shown via CAF’s official X handle. Watch below.
Safe hands. Édouard Mendy. 🇸🇳🏆#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/JbKJKCcKSL
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 18, 2026At the start of extra-time, Senegal’s left back Pape Gueye drove forward, shrugged off Morocco’s captain, Achraf Hakimi, and hammered a strike into the top corner to make it 1-0 and Senegal held on for the important win. That goal crowned Senegal champions of the competition.
