Image Credits: Imago Images
In a dramatic and highly unusual moment during the 98th minute of the Africa Cup of Nations Final 2025, Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest after Morocco was awarded a highly contentious penalty.
The decision came after Brahim Diaz went down following a very soft challenge from a corner in the 95th minute, which the referee initially waved away and played on.
However, VAR intervened and awarded the penalty to Morocco, much to the anger of the Senegal players and staff.
This angry was compounded due to Senegal having had a goal disallowed just two minutes earlier when one of their corners was headed into the net by Ismaila Sarr, but the referee had blown the whistle for a foul against a Senegal player that looked soft in real-time.
Emotions immediately boiled over on the field as players and staff reacted.
The Senegal manager Pape Thiaw told his team to leave the pitch in protest at the controversial penalty call and the Senegalese players emptied the pitch as their Moroccan counterparts looked on in disbelief.
Senegal captain and former Liverpool star Sadio Mane was one of the players to also leave the pitch at that moment as confusion reigned.
Mane was seen speaking with his fellow countrymen as well as match officials in an attempt to grasp what was happening in such extraordinary circumstances.
For a tense moment, the team remained off the field as many of the Senegal stars walked back to the changing room, leaving fans in the stadium and people watching on television in disbelief.
After some discussion and consultation with people who looked to be officials, Sadio Mane began calling the Senegal players back onto the pitch in an effort to resume the final.
Even manager Pape Thiaw, who had initially led the protest, returned and encouraged his players back onto the pitch.
Play resumed and it the penalty decision stood as the Morocco and Senegal players gathered around the penalty box.
Adding to the drama, Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz took the penalty and inexplicably attempted a Panenka that was easily saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
The penalty miss signalled the end of the normal time as the game went into extra time.
In an extraordinary twist, Pape Gueye scored an amazing goal for Senegal in the 94th minute as Senegal took the lead and went on to win the Africa Cup of Nations 2025.
Diaz’s penalty miss will be remembered as one of the most controversial and pivotal moments in AFCON history.
From seemingly being one kick away from winning the tournament on home soil, Morocco must now wait at least another 18 months before another attempt to win the Africa Cup of Nations.
For Senegal, they’ll be celebrating their second ever win of the tournament in their history tonight.
And the rest of the world will continue talking about one of the most controversial finals in football history.
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