This had been, by general agreement, the most predictable, least dramatic Cup of Nations in living memory. And that was true, until eight minutes into 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.
The chaos began two minutes into injury time when Abdoulaye Seck was penalised for a slight push on Achraf Hakimi as he headed against the post. Ismaïla Sarr nodded in, but the whistle had already gone. Four minutes later, Adam Masina was penalised, following a VAR review, for a pull on Morocco’s Brahim Díaz as he defended a corner. For Senegal, already convinced there was a plot against them, that was too much and the majority of their players stormed off. Sadio Mané seemed notably reluctant to go, and it was he who eventually ran down the tunnel to bring them back from the dressing room after the veteran coach of multiple African sides Claude Le Roy materialised to act as an improbable peacemaker.
In total, 15 minutes passed between the award of the penalty and it being taken. Díaz, having scored five in the tournament, stepped up. Who knows what must have gone through his mind as he waited for that fateful quarter of an hour? He had arguably been player of the tournament and here was a chance to seal it, to end his country’s 50-year wait for a Cup of Nations. He tried a Panenka – and ended up duffing his shot straight at Édouard Mendy who had stood still and caught it calmly. In the stands there was pandemonium, and the advertising hoardings in front of the Senegal fans collapsed, prompting the deployment of at least 100 riot police.
A game in which both sides had cancelled each other out was suddenly burst open. Four minutes into extra time, Neil El Aynaoui was dispossessed on halfway and the ball worked to Pape Gueye who surged through and lashed a shot into the top corner – a stunning goal, only rendered more remarkable by the absurd circumstances.
Senegal’s actions, obviously, were inexcusable and there will almost certainly be sanctions against their coach Pape Thiaw, and perhaps some of the players. But context perhaps offers some explanation. Senegal had protested about a lack of security when they arrived at Agdal station in Rabat on Saturday morning, had complained about a ticket allocation of around 2,800 in a 69,500-capacity stadium, changed hotel, and had been unhappy at being asked to train at the Mohammed VI complex in Salé just outside Rabat, seemingly for fear of being spied upon.
Although it is true that there was a large crowd at the station, many of them seeking selfies, it wasn’t entirely clear whether Senegal’s complaints were genuine or part of some broader strategy; certainly Cameroon and Nigeria in the previous two rounds had felt Morocco had enjoyed the benefit of various refereeing decisions and this may have been a pre-emptive strike against any skulduggery.
Such was the concern around officiating and the possibility one side or other might protest, as Morocco had done before the quarter-final, that Jean-Jacques Ngambo of DR Congo was only confirmed as referee for the final at around 10pm on Saturday night.
More disruptive for Senegal was probably the fact that their right-back Krépin Diatta was ruled out at the last minute by sickness, replaced by Antoine Mend, meaning three of their back four were aged 21 or under; they were magnificent. Diatta seemingly tried to warm up before accepting he was too ill to play and, clearly distressed, was escorted off by sympathetic teammates.
Given his superlative form in this tournament, that was a huge blow for Senegal, who were already without their captain Kalidou Koulibaly and the midfielder Habib Diarra through suspension. Mamadou Sarr, on loan at Strasbourg from Chelsea, started in Koulibaly’s place; his father Pape had missed Senegal’s 2002 final defeat to Cameroon through suspension having been sent off against Nigeria in the semi.
The final, it’s fair to say, had been a slow-burner. Senegal’s policy throughout this tournament has been not to overcommit, not to take too many risks in possession, assuming that eventually one of their array of high-class forwards, or a set play, or a mistake would create something. Which was not much different to Morocco’s policy, just with slightly more of the ball.
Senegal had marginally the better of the first half, Yassine Bounou saving well from Pape Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, and Morocco had the better of the second, Ayoub El Kaabi skewing one glorious chance wide and having another shot blocked by Sarr. Díaz is not the only Moroccan who will have sleepness nights about this.
Extra time was an entirely different issue. Forced to attack, Morocco fired cross after cross into the box. Nayef Aguerd hit the bar, Youssef En-Nesyri sent a diving header a fraction wide and there was block after block. And then, at the other end, Cherif Ndiaye somehow missed an open net from six yards. It was all hilarious, hysterical drama, all the intrigue of the tournament packed into its final 45 minutes.
But Senegal held on. There will be repercussions for their walk off – there must be – but history will record that they won their second Cup of Nations in Morocco, and that despite conceding a 98th-minute penalty when the scores were level. But the best football rarely makes much sense.