Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat — Tense. Dramatic. Controversial. Unforgettable.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final promised history and is delivering chaos, as hosts Morocco and defending champions Senegal fought through a goalless full time draw that refused to be settled in 90 minutes.
By 10 PM EAT, Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium was bursting at the seams. Red and green filled the stands, Moroccan fans daring to believe in a first AFCON title in 50 years.
Senegal, calm and composed, arrived chasing the rare prize of back to back crowns. The weight of history hung heavy in the Rabat air.
As the teams emerged, attention turned to the men expected to decide it.
Yassine Bounou anchored Morocco’s defence; Edouard Mendy stood guard for Senegal. It felt like a final built for goalkeepers.
The opening stages matched the occasion. Neither side took early risks. Midfields cancelled each other out, pressing was controlled, and chances were scarce.
Senegal began to find space on the counter, but Morocco stayed disciplined, waiting patiently to strike.
The hosts came closest before the break when Ayoub El Kaabi sparked a swift move, only for the final effort to drift wide.
Frustration grew, defences stayed firm, and the teams went in level at 0-0.
The second half resumed unchanged, but momentum remained fragile. Then a heavy collision stopped play.
Morocco’s Neil El Aynaoui and Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf clashed heads, leaving blood on the pitch and forcing an eight-minute stoppage. El Aynaoui later returned after checks, but the edge had sharpened.
Senegal looked the sharper side. A flowing move ended with a fierce strike that forced Bounou into a fine save, lifting the home crowd.
Then came the controversy.
With 12 minutes left, Ismaïla Sarr thought he had won it, finishing off a slick Senegal move. Celebrations erupted briefly.
VAR intervened, ruling out the goal for a foul in the build-up. The benches exploded, players protested, and disbelief rippled through the stadium.
As stoppage time deepened, extra time felt inevitable, until one final twist. In the 98th minute, Morocco were awarded a penalty after Brahim Díaz went down under light contact.
Senegal erupted in anger. Head coach Pape Thiaw, furious, ordered his players off the pitch in a dramatic protest.
After a long delay and tense negotiations, play resumed.
Díaz stepped up, attempting an audacious Panenka, a nod to the chip’s famous 50-year legacy. But Mendy read it perfectly.
Standing tall, he saved and gathered, crushing Morocco’s dream in that moment.
Soon after, the whistle blew. Ninety minutes had passed without a goal, but not without drama, controversy or emotion.
FULL TIME still stands at 0-0, the AFCON final rolles into extra time, the entire continent watching, breath held, as two giants prepare to go again.
