RABAT, Morocco — Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations for a second time on Sunday, January 18, 2026, defeating hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time in a final marked by an extraordinary stoppage-time protest in which Senegal’s players briefly refused to continue following a late penalty decision.
The final, played with the score goalless until extra time, was disrupted in the 98th minute when referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after being advised by the video assistant referee to review defender El Hadji Malick Diouf’s challenge on Brahim Diaz.
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw, angered by the penalty award and by Ndala’s earlier decision to disallow a Senegal goal, ordered his team off the pitch, prompting a delay of about 17 minutes before players returned.
VAR Decision and Abandoned Penalty
The penalty was awarded after Ndala consulted the pitchside monitor.
It came shortly after he had ruled out a Senegal goal scored by Ismaila Sarr, the Crystal Palace forward, after a foul was called against Abdoulaye Seck on Achraf Hakimi in the build-up.
As Senegal players walked off, their former captain Sadio Mane remained on the pitch and sought to persuade his team-mates to return and complete the match.
After the delay, the teams resumed play and Diaz, the Real Madrid forward and the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, took the penalty.
He attempted a ‘Panenka’ but Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy caught the effort, and Ndala immediately blew for full time.
Deciding Goal in Extra Time
Senegal secured victory in the fourth minute of extra time when Pape Gueye, the Villarreal midfielder, scored the decisive goal to deliver the title, Senegal’s second in five years.
Diaz was substituted after Gueye’s goal, as Morocco’s wait for a first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1976 continued.
Reaction From Coaches and Fifa President
At his post-match news conference, Morocco coach Walid Regragui criticised Senegal’s decision to leave the pitch.
Senegal’s scheduled media briefing was cancelled after disturbances in the press room. In an interview with BeIN Sport, Thiaw said he should not have instructed his team to walk off.
“We didn’t agree,” he said. “I don’t want to go over all the incidents. I apologise for the football.
“After reflecting on it I made them come back [on the pitch] — you can react in the heat of the moment. We accept the errors of the referee.
“We shouldn’t have done it but it’s done and now we present our apologies to football.”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino condemned the scenes in an Instagram post, describing them as “ugly” and saying it was “unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner”.
He added that “violence cannot be tolerated in our sport” and said he expected disciplinary bodies at the Confederation of African Football to take appropriate measures.
Players Address Walk-Off
After the match, Mane said he had opposed the walk-off and emphasised the need to protect football’s image.
“Football is something special, the world was watching, so we have to give a good image for football,” he said.
“I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game? I think that would be the worst thing especially in African football. I’d rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football.
“I think it’s really bad. Football should not stop for 10 minutes but what can we do? We have to accept what we did but the good thing is that we came back and we played the game and what happened happened.”
Mendy, who now plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, said Senegal’s return to the field was driven by team unity.
“What did we say to each other? That’s between us,” he said. “We did it together and we came back together, that’s all that matters. We can be proud.”
Gueye said the team felt wronged by key decisions before the penalty was awarded.
“We had a feeling of injustice,” he said. “Just before the penalty we thought we should have had a goal and the referee didn’t go to VAR.
“Sadio [Mane] told us to come back on and we remobilised. Edouard [Mendy] then made the save, we stayed focused, got the goal and won the game.”
