Afcon final: Senegal’s ecstasy and Morocco’s devastation

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has declared Monday a public holiday after the national team won the Africa Cup of Nations after beating tournament hosts Morocco 1-0 in a dramatic final on Sunday.

A disallowed goal, players walking off the pitch and a saved penalty made it a tense night in the stadium in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

In Senegal’s capital, Dakar, supporters were excited as they gathered at an outdoor screen at the foot of the giant African Renaissance Monument.

As the match unfolded the tension was too much to bear for some.

The moment Morocco’s Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the penalty that would have won his country the Afcon trophy for the first time in 50 years was unwatchable for this Senegal fan.

But his miss and Senegal’s subsequent goal in extra time were met with ecstasy in Dakar.

“What just happened is divine… a scenario as if it were a Netflix series is crazy,” fan Mohamed Diop told the Reuters news agency.

The other side of the coin, of course, was the devastation for Moroccans at a fan park in the city of Sale.

“Maybe next time,” one man told Reuters. “We have good players. Now we should get back to work so we can win in 2027.”

Moroccan fans watching in the Dutch city of Eindhoven were also shocked by Diaz’s penalty miss.

But back in Dakar, once the final whistle had blown, the party started.

“We really needed to win. This team showed me courage and seriousness. We gave everything we had. We really thank Sadio Mané, he gave us everything,” supporter Modou Yacine Diop told Reuters.

Senegal fans in the Italian city of Milan also came out on the streets.

People also celebrated in the Château Rouge area of the French capital, Paris, which some know as Little Africa.

In the Spanish capital, Madrid, people followed the match in restaurants in the Lavapies neighbourhood.

And at a watch party in New York, hosted by new city mayor Zohran Mamdani, Senegal fans joined the festivities.