Senegal vs Morocco: Pape Gueye’s Late Strike Settles a Chaotic AFCON Final

Intro (PAS): Senegal vs Morocco was supposed to be a tactical chess match between Africa’s two best-ranked sides. Instead, a stoppage-time penalty, a 14-minute walk-off and a missed spot-kick turned the final into a legal case.

The scoreboard said one thing, CAF’s appeals board later said another, and fans want a straight answer. Here are the numbers, the timeline and both official results.

Senegal beat hosts Morocco 1-0 in extra time on 18 January 2026 at Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat. Pape Gueye scored in the 94th minute, set up by Idrissa Gana Gueye. The announced attendance was 66,526.

Morocco had the shot count, the possession was dead level, and Senegal’s goalkeeper and central defenders absorbed everything. Senegal 0-3 Morocco (Jan 18, 2026) Final Score – ESPN +4

The match did not end there. On 17 March 2026 CAF’s appeal board ruled that Senegal had forfeited by leaving the pitch in protest, and recorded a 3-0 win for Morocco. Senegal took the case to CAS, and the appeal remains unresolved. Africa: Morocco Awarded Afcon 2025 Title After CAF Overturns Final Result +2

Match Overview Table

Core Match Statistics: Senegal vs Morocco Match Stats

These figures come from Sky Sports, ESPN, 365Scores and a live-score feed, and the sources disagree slightly on shots and saves. Form and head to head stats Senegal vs Morocco +3

Shot Volume vs Shot Quality

• Morocco out-shot Senegal by roughly six attempts and won the xG battle, 2.18 to 1.71.
• Senegal put more of its shots on target, seven against three or four. That is the gap that decided the score.

Discipline and Physicality

• Senegal committed 25 fouls to Morocco’s 17 and collected five yellow cards to two.
• A fouling and booking count that lopsided fits a side defending a lead and protesting decisions.

Set Pieces and Territory

• Morocco won 10 corners to Senegal’s eight and had more attempts from inside the box.
• Neither side turned that pressure into open-play goals over 120 minutes.

Period-by-Period Analysis

• Regulation: Senegal had a goal disallowed shortly before Morocco was awarded a penalty in stoppage time. That decision set off the protest. allafrica
• The walk-off: Senegal’s players left the pitch for 14 minutes. Sadio Mané helped coax them back. flashscoreAl Jazeera
• The penalty and the winner: Brahim Díaz’s penalty was saved, and Gueye then scored the decisive goal. ESPN’s match leaders credit Édouard Mendy with four saves and no goals conceded. Al Jazeera

Senegal Player Statistics

• Pape Gueye (midfielder): ESPN lists him with four shots on goal and one goal. He was the match-winner and the most direct attacking threat on the night. ESPN
• Édouard Mendy (goalkeeper): Four saves, no goals conceded. He kept Morocco off the scoresheet through 120 minutes, and Díaz’s penalty was saved. ESPNAl Jazeera
• Moussa Niakhaté (defender): 96 accurate passes, the highest total in the match. He steadied the back line and helped Senegal play out under pressure. ESPN
• Idrissa Gana Gueye (captain): Credited with the assist on the winner. He kept the midfield connected through the disruption. livesoccertv

Morocco Player Statistics

• Yassine Bounou (goalkeeper): Six saves and one goal conceded. He kept Morocco level long enough to matter. ESPN
• Nayef Aguerd (defender): 62 passes, 51 accurate. He anchored a back line that faced fewer, but sharper, chances. ESPN
• Brahim Díaz (forward): He took the stoppage-time penalty, which was saved. He came off in the 98th minute. livesoccertv
• Neil El Aynaoui (midfielder): He was listed among ESPN’s shot leaders with no shots on goal and no goal.

Statistical Leaders Summary

Why Senegal Won on the Pitch

Finishing Efficiency

• Senegal converted its best moment despite fewer shots and a lower xG. Seven shots on target against Morocco’s three or four kept Bounou working.

Goalkeeping and Defensive Structure

• Mendy and Niakhaté anchored a back line missing Kalidou Koulibaly, who was suspended. The clean sheet held for 120 minutes. fotmob

Composure After the Walk-Off

• Returning after 14 minutes off the pitch and still defending a penalty shows unusual mental control. The saved penalty removed Morocco’s clearest route back into the game.

Why Morocco Lost on the Pitch

Wasteful Finishing

• Morocco had more shots, more inside-the-box attempts and a better xG figure, yet only three or four shots landed on target.

The Missed Penalty

• The one clear chance to break the deadlock did not go in. In a game this tight, that miss carried the whole result.

Head-to-Head Context

Across six meetings since 2007, Morocco won four, Senegal one and one was drawn, and the list above shows the most recent ones. aiscore

Advanced Insights

Expected goals rewarded Morocco, but the match went the other way. The gap between xG and the scoreline is a reminder that shot volume does not equal shot quality. Morocco’s 20-plus attempts included many blocked or off-target efforts.

Senegal’s smaller count sent nearly half of its shots on frame. Equal possession and near-identical pass accuracy (80% against 81%) show that neither side controlled the ball better. The difference was what each did once it arrived in the box.

What This Means

For Senegal

• The 1-0 win gave Senegal a second continental title, after 2022. The trophy and the ruling remain in dispute. Al Jazeera
• The team showed it can absorb a hostile stadium and a mid-match protest, and still deliver a clean sheet.

For Morocco

• Morocco was recorded as champion after the appeal board’s decision. The title carries an asterisk until CAS rules. allafrica
• The team must fix its finishing. Twenty shots for one on-pitch goal is a hard pattern to defend.

Key Lessons

• Shot quality matters more than shot volume.
• A disciplined goalkeeper and back line can hold off a superior xG figure.
• Set-piece pressure has to produce goals to matter.
• Penalties are decided by nerve as much as technique.
• Discipline under provocation affects the result long after the final whistle.
• Match results can be revisited by governing bodies, so the on-field score is not always the last word.

FAQs

Who won the Senegal vs Morocco AFCON final?

Senegal won 1-0 on the pitch. CAF later ruled a 3-0 forfeit win for Morocco. The CAS appeal is still pending. allafricalegit

Who scored the goal?

Pape Gueye scored in the 94th minute, assisted by Idrissa Gana Gueye.

What was the attendance?

66,526. matchscorestats

Who saved Brahim Díaz’s penalty?

Reports say his penalty was saved, and ESPN credits Mendy with four saves and no goals conceded. Al Jazeera

Why did CAF award Morocco the win?

CAF ruled that Senegal forfeited by walking off the pitch for 14 minutes in protest. allafricaflashscore

Has CAS made a decision?

Not as of the latest reports I found. CAS has denied reports of a verdict, and a viral “ruling” was shown to be fake. Check CAS’s website for updates. moroccoworldnewslegit

Conclusion

The match showed that efficiency beat volume. Morocco had the shots, the corners and the better xG, but Senegal turned one moment into a goal and defended everything else. Whichever ruling stands after arbitration, the raw match data points to a team that made the most of its chances against one that did not.